Champions League: Barcelona take on tricky Porto

Madrid, November 27

A win against Porto will be enough to put Barcelona back in the knockout rounds of the Champions League after two consecutive group-stage eliminations.

It may not be enough to ease the pressure on coach Xavi Hernandez, who has struggled to get his team to play well recently.

Barcelona are coming off a stretch that includes a 0-1 loss to Shakhtar Donetsk in their last Champions League game, and a 1-1 draw at Rayo Vallecano in their previous Spanish league match. The team has even produced lacklustre performances when winning recent matches.

“Things did not go as expected lately,” Xavi said. “Against Rayo it was better, but we have lacked continuity. Tomorrow is a great opportunity for us. It can be a turning point. I really believe we will be playing better again,” he added.

Barcelona will advance with a win, or with a draw if Shakhtar don’t beat Antwerp in the other Group H match. The Catalan club failed to reach the knockout stage in the two seasons after Lionel Messi left the club. — AP