LONDON: Holders Barcelona would have expected to be safely installed in the last 16 of the Champions League by now instead of facing an anxious night in Bulgaria knowing anything less than victory could knock them out.
Frank Rijkaard’s side find themselves in third place in Group A with five points, having won just one of their four matches so far, and even if they do beat hapless Levski Sofia on Wednesday their fate will not be decided until the final group game when they host Werder Bremen on December 5.
The German club — who have seven points — host leaders Chelsea (10 points) on Wednesday buoyed by the knowledge that the English champions are far less
formidable on the road in Europe where they have won just two of their last 10 away games.
Should Bremen win and Barca drop points it would mean the Catalans having to content themselves with a humbling place in the second-tier UEFA Cup.
“It’s on the minds of all the players because we are aware that we have two (important matches) ahead of us,” Barcelona captain Carles Puyol said.
Bremen, though, are out of form after needing a late Miroslav Klose goal to salvage a 2-2 draw with lowly Alemannia Aachen at the weekend, and they cannot expect any favours from Chelsea, despite what the conspiracy theorists might say.
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, public enemy number one at the Nou Camp, said his side will go all out for victory, despite a huge Premier League clash with Manchester United next weekend. “The game against Werder Bremen is a game that can influence the future of the Champions League so we have responsibilities,” Mourinho said after Chelsea’s 1-0 win over West Ham United on Saturday. “We need to play a serious game. We cannot go there like some people were expecting, with a second team — Bremen beat Chelsea, maybe Barcelona is out of the competition. That’s not our war, that’s not our problem. We go there to try to get a result.”
Germany playmaker Michael Ballack, rested against West Ham, is likely to return as Mourinho backs up his promise.
