A potentially explosive encounter awaits Barça in the Champions League

Barcelona secured direct qualification to the Champions League round of 16 after a resounding 4-1 victory over Copenhagen, finishing fifth in La Liga and avoiding the February play-offs. The Catalan club thus guaranteed their place in the last 16 without having to participate in the play-offs, which Real Madrid will enter after their 4-2 defeat to Benfica. Barcelona's opponent will be determined in the draw scheduled for Friday, February 27. The second leg will be played at the Camp Nou on Tuesday, March 17, and Wednesday, March 18, following the first leg, which will be played at the home ground of the winner of the tie between Paris Saint-Germain or Newcastle United and Monaco or Qarabag. This gives Barcelona the potential to face the reigning champions. The draw on February 27 will also determine the full schedule of matches up to and including the final in Budapest on Saturday, May 30. The play-off draw will take place on Friday in Nyon, with the first legs to be played on February 17 and 18 and the second legs on February 24 and 25 . By finishing fifth, Barcelona avoided facing Arsenal (first) and Bayern Munich (second) even if they reached the semi-finals. Certainly, if they qualified for the quarter-finals, and with the possibility of facing Liverpool (third) and Tottenham (fourth), the second leg will not be played at the Camp Nou, whether in the quarter-finals or semi-finals, even if the London or Bavarian teams are eliminated before then.