Barcelona face nightmare Champions League draw, likely to face Bayern or Liverpool

Spanish giants Barcelona suffered a humiliating defeat at Camp Nou, against Juventus, their first loss in the competition this season. The Camp Nou outfit was on course to finish atop the Group G standings, but the defeat sees Ronald Koeman's men sit second in the table. The second-place finish casts trouble for Barcelona, who might be paired up against some of the fiercest teams at the European stage in the round of 16. 

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Juventus' victory spells trouble for Barcelona in Champions League draw 

Barcelona had already qualified for the knockout stage of the competition courtesy of five straight victories, including against Juventus. But a defeat against Juventus, with a three-goal deficit, would have propelled Andrea Pirlo's men at the top. And the Turin-based outfit was successful in managing a 3-0 victory at Camp Nou, much to the embarrassment of the Catalan giants. 

Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo netted twice from the spot, apart from a sensational bicycle goal from Weston McKennie. Although Barcelona icon Lionel Messi put in tremendous efforts to cut down the three-goal deficit, Pirlo's tactics meant he could not disjoin Juventus' defence. The victory saw Juventus claim the top spot courtesy of a better goal difference. 

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Bayern Munich are Barcelona's worst nightmare 

The second-place finish senses trouble for Barcelona, who have had their worst possible start in LaLiga this season. And their hollowness was exposed by Juventus as well. According to UEFA's Round of 16 pairing mechanism, group leaders are paired up against second-placed teams. 

Barcelona will play either of defending European champions Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund or Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Interestingly, Messi and co do not have a decent record against the Bavarians, with Hansi Flick's men humiliating Barcelona 8-2 in the final eight last season. 

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Barcelona last 16 opponents: PSG, Liverpool among other possibilities 

Besides, Barcelona were knocked out by Liverpool in the 2018-19 semi-final. Although the Camp Nou outfit managed a 3-0 first-leg win at home, the Anfield witnessed wild scenes when Jurgen Klopp's men overturned the tie, netting four goals to none when Barcelona arrived at Merseyside. 

Besides, Barcelona would definitely want to avoid PSG, with Thomas Tuchel's men humiliating Istanbul Basaksehir on Wednesday. Moreover, Chelsea, Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund are all in a fine run of form in Europe and might cast trouble for Koeman in his first season with the Spanish giants. 

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Image courtesy: Barcelona Twitter