Barcelona - Benfica is a game that I wonder about the result of. If their current manager was still Ronald Koeman, I wouldn't be curious about it much. Because I already remember the result of the Benfica - Barcelona game before this one. Barcelona were terrible in that game and got a big defeat. But this time, things are different. Xavi is in charge from now on. I hope to see substantial changes as soon as possible. And I hope that they can win this game also.
Barcelona was indeed very terrible under the leadership of Koeman, but they now have a new Coach (Xavi). Who we are hoping can get Barcelona back on track, but I think that will take some time. So, I don't expect much from Barcelona against Benfica. Although, despite beating Barcelona in their last encounter with a whopping 3-0 score, Barcelona are presently in a good position than Benfica in the Champion League. But, I believe Xavi will bring something positive to the club. Am looking forward to see how Barcelona plays this match. 
Topic: UEFA Champions League Discussion Thread - page 564. (Read 129798 times)
Maybe Xavi can follow the example of how Tuchel keeps Chelsea productive in scoring goals even without a pure striker, if Xavi can do that too then I think for sure Xavi will succeed in bringing Barcelona to the title track again
It is not fair to compare Xavi and Tuchel as well as Barcelona and Chelsea. They are different coaches and have different experience in top levels before they took over the coach position in Chelsea and Barcelona.Tuchel had some success and more experience than Xavi. Furthermore, Chelsea had better condition and player resource than what Barcelona have now. Xavi debuts in Barcelona with no experience as a coach at top level and the general conditions in Barcelona are worse than that of Chelsea last year.
However, Tuchel is in a lot more trouble if he doesn't do well, because he is expected to do well and he can't spend too much money on players neither, it would be very risky for him to spend a lot and then keep on losing. Whereas Xavi has no pressure, he replaced an unsuccessful manager, he is not expected to do well at all, he is expected to do badly but just better and he is expected to do quite well compared to Koeman and he can achieve that very easily.
Maybe Xavi can follow the example of how Tuchel keeps Chelsea productive in scoring goals even without a pure striker, if Xavi can do that too then I think for sure Xavi will succeed in bringing Barcelona to the title track again
It is not fair to compare Xavi and Tuchel as well as Barcelona and Chelsea. They are different coaches and have different experience in top levels before they took over the coach position in Chelsea and Barcelona.Tuchel had some success and more experience than Xavi. Furthermore, Chelsea had better condition and player resource than what Barcelona have now. Xavi debuts in Barcelona with no experience as a coach at top level and the general conditions in Barcelona are worse than that of Chelsea last year.
Barcelona - Benfica is a game that I wonder about the result of. If their current manager was still Ronald Koeman, I wouldn't be curious about it much. Because I already remember the result of the Benfica - Barcelona game before this one. Barcelona were terrible in that game and got a big defeat. But this time, things are different. Xavi is in charge from now on. I hope to see substantial changes as soon as possible. And I hope that they can win this game also.
It's not really clear what to expect from Barcelona right now. The players in the team remained the same, there was no any updates, but we also know many examples when the whole problem was in the psychology of the players. Here, a lot will really depend on Xavi, how strong a tactician and psychologist he is, how much he knows how to work with players. Benfica is an excellent opponent to check if there are any changes in the team, or everything remains the same. 
actually, it's not so important for both clubs because they guaranteed the places in the next stage. there is only question which team will take the 1st spot and who will take the 2nd.
It can be said that the main mission of the competing clubs is to qualify for the next round, but as much as possible they will aim for the grup winner as their last position in an elimination grup, as group winners of course they have the opportunity to avoid other teams who also end up as other group winners and that way at least the group winner will most likely face a team that ends up as a runner-up in another group and has the potential to meet a weaker club later.Indeed what you say is very true, if some teams will actually try to come out as top of the group to avoid meeting a strong opponent, but sometimes they actually meet runners up who are even stronger than themselves, just like this season, we can see if many the runner-up team that is even stronger than the group winners so that it has the potential to be very surprising later in the round of 16.
I see this season maybe only the runners up and group G winners look a little weak and in fact the other groups have almost equal strength between the first and second positions.
-snip-
I also really hope that chelsea can secure the three points, according to my prediction chelsea is able to beat juventus, because chelsea has versatile players and has players who want to work hard, especially later they play at home, it will definitely add their motivation to get a win ..BTW both teams have quite challenging games in their league before and after their match so they will not rotate players and they have to avoid unnecessary injuries for main players
Barcelona - Benfica is a game that I wonder about the result of. If their current manager was still Ronald Koeman, I wouldn't be curious about it much. Because I already remember the result of the Benfica - Barcelona game before this one. Barcelona were terrible in that game and got a big defeat. But this time, things are different. Xavi is in charge from now on. I hope to see substantial changes as soon as possible. And I hope that they can win this game also.
full member
Activity: 1414
Merit: 129
The first decentralized crypto betting platform
actually, it's not so important for both clubs because they guaranteed the places in the next stage. there is only question which team will take the 1st spot and who will take the 2nd.
It can be said that the main mission of the competing clubs is to qualify for the next round, but as much as possible they will aim for the grup winner as their last position in an elimination grup, as group winners of course they have the opportunity to avoid other teams who also end up as other group winners and that way at least the group winner will most likely face a team that ends up as a runner-up in another group and has the potential to meet a weaker club later.Yes, and I am sure that the teams are aware of that and they will surely try to be in the first place rather than anything. It is true that you do have to beat everyone on the way to the finals. But it is always better to face at least One less strong team if you can.
So far Xavi's problem is that don't have the forward qualified on the front, Luuk de jong is underperforming while lord Braithwaite and Aguero are still having problems with stamina. what he can do now is work which exists team, that makes him thinking what formation he can use.
There is not much reason to say Barcelona can win the match unless Depay, Coutinho and Dembele play well throughout the match. Depay shone with his country where he has now scored several goals during the world cup qualifiers while Dembele has not been able to fully give hope as he has only had a few minute after recovering from injury. I hope for some good news ahead of the game, but let's see what Xavi and the players can do when they meet Espanyol this week.@Woodie I probably don't think that Barcelona will have too many problems beating Espanyol. And I do hope that all the players stay fit as Barcelona cannot afford to have injuries in the squad right now. Actually, they can barely effort anything right now, lol.
Maybe Xavi can follow the example of how Tuchel keeps Chelsea productive in scoring goals even without a pure striker, if Xavi can do that too then I think for sure Xavi will succeed in bringing Barcelona to the title track again. In such difficult conditions, the coach should not be spoiled for getting players in their pure position, because in a match a player can be placed in a different position as well and the coach will certainly be able to maximize the skills they have as well.
I know Xavi has the option of playing one of the forward from Barcelona B if needed, but if Coutinho, Depay and Dembele can be played then I think it will be enough to finish his first job at Barcelona. Koeman has tried to play Sergino Dest on the wing before and that has worked for a few games, but he still appears to have not fully recovered from his injury. Sergi Barjuan failed to win his first game at Barcelona as interim coach, but I hope Xavi can do that since his inaugural match vs Espanyol.I think Barcelona has enough forward players. But to me, the mid-field is the weakest link of Barcelona. And it is normal for us to feel that way as we are used to seeing a great midfield comp like Xavi-Iniesta-Busquets or Iniesta-Busquets-Rakitich. I hope Xavi can bring out the best of this team with the players he has.
Maybe Xavi can follow the example of how Tuchel keeps Chelsea productive in scoring goals even without a pure striker, if Xavi can do that too then I think for sure Xavi will succeed in bringing Barcelona to the title track again. In such difficult conditions, the coach should not be spoiled for getting players in their pure position, because in a match a player can be placed in a different position as well and the coach will certainly be able to maximize the skills they have as well.
I know Xavi has the option of playing one of the forward from Barcelona B if needed, but if Coutinho, Depay and Dembele can be played then I think it will be enough to finish his first job at Barcelona. Koeman has tried to play Sergino Dest on the wing before and that has worked for a few games, but he still appears to have not fully recovered from his injury. Sergi Barjuan failed to win his first game at Barcelona as interim coach, but I hope Xavi can do that since his inaugural match vs Espanyol.its safe to say Depay is currently at his peak of his career and will perform to his best of his abilities to help Barcelona to win games... on one condition which is : he must not be injured anytime soon, but i cant say the same for Coutinho and Dembele . Btw Xavi heading the time could have an effect of change of mindset for the boys and this fixture against Espanyol should bring another win for the team.
Winning is my biggest hope right now for Xavi's first game as Barcelona coach, but it won't be easy. 
So far Xavi's problem is that don't have the forward qualified on the front, Luuk de jong is underperforming while lord Braithwaite and Aguero are still having problems with stamina. what he can do now is work which exists team, that makes him thinking what formation he can use.
There is not much reason to say Barcelona can win the match unless Depay, Coutinho and Dembele play well throughout the match. Depay shone with his country where he has now scored several goals during the world cup qualifiers while Dembele has not been able to fully give hope as he has only had a few minute after recovering from injury. I hope for some good news ahead of the game, but let's see what Xavi and the players can do when they meet Espanyol this week.There is less than one week left for the Barcelona - Benfica match. Barcelona have made an important change lately. They have brought Xavi to the team as their manager. We will see if they did the right thing or not in the future. But if Barcelona succeed in defeating Espanyol in the La Liga first, I see that they have a big chance against Benfica too. And I hope that they get better soon.
I guess this will be another great test of the team to see if the team has been patched up with this change of managers , but then again if you think about it its not the manager at fault its the players themselves who need to up their game , so nothing really has changed here
. My prediction Barca 1-1 Benfica , only because of Xavi otherwise Benfica should win here....
Maybe Xavi can follow the example of how Tuchel keeps Chelsea productive in scoring goals even without a pure striker, if Xavi can do that too then I think for sure Xavi will succeed in bringing Barcelona to the title track again
It is not fair to compare Xavi and Tuchel as well as Barcelona and Chelsea. They are different coaches and have different experience in top levels before they took over the coach position in Chelsea and Barcelona.Tuchel had some success and more experience than Xavi. Furthermore, Chelsea had better condition and player resource than what Barcelona have now. Xavi debuts in Barcelona with no experience as a coach at top level and the general conditions in Barcelona are worse than that of Chelsea last year.
Quote
In such difficult conditions, the coach should not be spoiled for getting players in their pure position, because in a match a player can be placed in a different position as well and the coach will certainly be able to maximize the skills they have as well.
New coaches come can help players to refresh their minds then they can play with more energy and can bring a better result in short term. Long term, if that new coach makes players under stressful conditions again or create internal conflicts again, results will be back to bad. 
Chelsea - Juventus game is going to be really important for both of these teams. If Juventus manage to draw with Chelsea at least, it will be enough for Juventus to guarantee their leadership and they will promote as the leader. Because they defeated Chelsea by 1-0 before. Consequently, Chelsea have no other choice than winning this game. And in Stamford Bridge, I believe that they are in a very advantageous position. We know how tough Juventus are when it comes to their defense. But I still expect Chelsea to have the control of the game through the whole game and defeat their opponent to be able to take the lead.
I also really hope that chelsea can secure the three points, according to my prediction chelsea is able to beat juventus, because chelsea has versatile players and has players who want to work hard, especially later they play at home, it will definitely add their motivation to get a win ..
So far Xavi's problem is that don't have the forward qualified on the front, Luuk de jong is underperforming while lord Braithwaite and Aguero are still having problems with stamina. what he can do now is work which exists team, that makes him thinking what formation he can use.
There is not much reason to say Barcelona can win the match unless Depay, Coutinho and Dembele play well throughout the match. Depay shone with his country where he has now scored several goals during the world cup qualifiers while Dembele has not been able to fully give hope as he has only had a few minute after recovering from injury. I hope for some good news ahead of the game, but let's see what Xavi and the players can do when they meet Espanyol this week.So far Xavi's problem is that don't have the forward qualified on the front, Luuk de jong is underperforming while lord Braithwaite and Aguero are still having problems with stamina. what he can do now is work which exists team, that makes him thinking what formation he can use.
There is not much reason to say Barcelona can win the match unless Depay, Coutinho and Dembele play well throughout the match. Depay shone with his country where he has now scored several goals during the world cup qualifiers while Dembele has not been able to fully give hope as he has only had a few minute after recovering from injury. I hope for some good news ahead of the game, but let's see what Xavi and the players can do when they meet Espanyol this week. 
There is less than one week left for the Barcelona - Benfica match. Barcelona have made an important change lately. They have brought Xavi to the team as their manager. We will see if they did the right thing or not in the future. But if Barcelona succeed in defeating Espanyol in the La Liga first, I see that they have a big chance against Benfica too. And I hope that they get better soon.
I actually also hope Barcelona starts playing like the team we all knew in the past, but I'm afraid, they may not be able to do so just yet, even with the signing of Xavi as new head coach of the team, Xavi will prolly bring something to the team, maybe a new tactics and pattern of play, but the fact remains that Barcelona needs new players of very good quality before they can return to their former position both in the Spanish league and in the CL.actually, it's not so important for both clubs because they guaranteed the places in the next stage. there is only question which team will take the 1st spot and who will take the 2nd.
It can be said that the main mission of the competing clubs is to qualify for the next round, but as much as possible they will aim for the grup winner as their last position in an elimination grup, as group winners of course they have the opportunity to avoid other teams who also end up as other group winners and that way at least the group winner will most likely face a team that ends up as a runner-up in another group and has the potential to meet a weaker club later.
Winning and losing in this match will not change anything, there are only two matches left which means these two teams will still qualify. For example, maybe we assume PSG lost here and Club Brugge won and thus, their points are 8 and 7. Then, in the last match PSG will play at home against Club Brugge, we assume the result is a draw and their points will be 9 and 8, right. So, whatever result in the match Manchester City - PSG does not change anything in the standings of this group, their position will remain like that until the end. Even though PSG can win against Manchester City tomorrow, it's still these two teams that will qualify too, of course, unless Club Brugge can win in these last two matches then Club Brugge will certainly qualify. I'm not sure PSG will give up easily at home in the last match because the opponent is only Club Brugge, which it looks like PSG will still win in the last match against Club Brugge later.
It is 100% guaranteed in my mind that City and PSG will go to next stage, I do not believe that there is any possibility that Bruge would go to next stage. It is sad to see Leipzig doing that badly, that is the only thing that shocked me this year, they are not doing well in bundesliga as well, manager really does make a big difference.In any case I assume that we will see City and PSG on next stage and then also another stage for sure, quarter finals is where things "may" get serious depending on your draw, but aside from that nothing really changes for these teams, hell maybe they could get some lucky draw on quarter finals as well who knows. They are not even working too hard right now neither, because they know they could get it done. Let's see how things could change, but at the moment it is going to be basically exactly this ranking by the end.
and even if club brugge became the dark horse, in the end they both would advance to the next phase.
Their chances are very strong from the start until now and it will be very difficult for both teams like club brugge and leipzig who have no hope of shifting them from the start is like an impossible mission.
There is less than one week left for the Barcelona - Benfica match. Barcelona have made an important change lately. They have brought Xavi to the team as their manager. We will see if they did the right thing or not in the future. But if Barcelona succeed in defeating Espanyol in the La Liga first, I see that they have a big chance against Benfica too. And I hope that they get better soon.
Major impact from Xavi's return to Barcelona, expecting a much better and focused team making the right decisions rather than safe decisions.
A good chance to win Espanyol and Benfica, when it comes to Bayern Munich I don't have anything to say not until that time finally arrives.
Jump to: