Barcelona among contenders for Champions League but questions remain

Madrid – When the UEFA Champions League draw trimmed the field to eight, Barcelona were slotted into the softer side of the bracket, paired with familiar foes Atlético Madrid. The assignment is hardly a gimme—Diego Simeone’s side dumped Barça out of the Copa del Rey only weeks ago—but most projections still tilt toward the Catalan club, leaving them one round from a possible semifinal and, in the eyes of optimists, a path to the final at Wembley.

The optimism is rooted in firepower, not certainty. Hansi Flick’s team can flip a tie in minutes: 16-year-old winger Lamine Yamal ghosts into half-spaces, Raphinha times his diagonal runs to perfection, Pedri dictates tempo under pressure and Robert Lewandowski remains one of Europe’s most reliable finishers. Yet the same side that scores in flurries has shown a habit of switching off at the back, a luxury the knockout rounds rarely afford.

“I would see Barça as a finalist,” Movistar+ analyst Julio Maldonado said this week, “but Barça has to improve defensively. The margins are thin.”

Maldonado’s caveat echoes across Europe. Bayern Munich, looming in the other bracket, continue to set the standard. “Bayern is a goal-scoring machine and I maintain they are the main favorite,” he added. Arsenal, drifting from their early-season heights, still carry enough attacking variety to trouble anyone, while a resurgent Paris Saint-Germain—buoyed by a statement win over Chelsea and the return of key personnel—have re-entered the contender conversation. Liverpool sit a tier below the betting-line favorites yet remain quintessential knockout wild cards, and Real Madrid, though never to be discounted, must first survive a titanic quarter-final against Bayern that Maldonado believes could end their campaign.

For Barcelona, the equation is simpler, if no less daunting: tighten the defensive screws without dulling the edge that has carried them this far. “If Barça can win this Champions League it’s because Flick takes slightly fewer risks and has a lot of talent up front,” Maldonado stressed.

The next exam comes against Atlético, a rivalry that needs no extra spice. Pass the test and the semifinal awaits—likely against Arsenal—bringing Barcelona within touching distance of a sixth European Cup. Fail, and another promising season risks unraveling on the back of a single lapse.

On paper the route is favorable; on the pitch, as Flick’s squad knows, nothing is ever settled until the final whistle.