After eight rounds, a goals and a farewell of 12 teams, the phase of the Champions League group came to an end on Wednesday night. Unfortunately for the league, Girona was among the lower thirds that are outside Europe for the rest of the season, but Spain had a three -sides progress.
Barcelona managed to finish second after a 2-2 draw with Atalanta, and with him he won the progress to the 16 of the teams he described. On the other hand, Barcelona had the most effective attack for 6 goals, and no one in Europe has resolved a way of stopping its three strikers so far.
They join them in the 16 round are Atlético de Madrid, who finished fifth after a comfortable 4-1 victory against RB Salzburg. They directed their European season after a worrying beginning with the defeats of Lille and Benfica, but won all the games since then, and were the third set in terms of marked goals. However, Atlético could be facing a complicated draw.
Real Madrid did not have the problem predicted a few days ago, ending 11 with 15 points and, like Atlético, 20 goals scored. They ended with a 3-0 victory over Brest, but they have a nervous wait to see if they play with Manchester City or Celtic in the play-off round. They are still in the competition, they are immediately one of the favorites and are rounding the form, but Carlo Ancelotti still has one or two problems to solve.
Soccer Spain joined CNN World Sport and host Patrick Snell to discuss the champions league drama and the perspectives of Spanish giants in the future.
The champions League draw will take place at 12:00 CEST on Friday, where UEFA will decide the accessories of the Play-Off round. However, you will also see the paths from each side to the definite final, which means that Atlético and Barcelona will closely monitor what happens in it as well. However, the three sides of the league will feel that they have an opportunity for glory.