Laporta confident of Barcelona’s chances against Bayern

It’s do or die for Barcelona in the Champions League against Bayern Munich

The fate of Barcelona in the Champions League comes down to the final group stage match. While their destiny is in their hands, in their way stands a behemoth in the shape of Bayern Munich.

The German giants have had the Catalans’ number the past few years with results such as the 8-2 in Lisbon a couple of seasons ago and a 3-0 this season in their first meet-up at the Camp Nou.

Barcelona head into the match knowing they need a near perfect game to come out of the Allianz Arena with a positive result. Despite the tall order, everyone inside the club seems to be optimistic about going through. That includes president Joan Laporta.

"“I am very confident we’ll go through,” Laporta said.“Barcelona is club that has tradition, a trajectory and we want to go advance. This is one of those games where you have to show your pride and show what you’re made of. The players are going to show their pride. I am very confident we’ll go through.”Source: Sport"

Xavi Hernandez was also optimistic of his team’s chances during his pregame press conference.

Everyone is saying the right things but it’s easier said than done.

The change in manager from Ronald Koeman to Xavi has had an effect. The team looks more compact and with a better understanding of what is required of them on the pitch. They look better defensively despite the loss over the weekend against Real Betis.

But their deficiencies remain. They’re still caught on the break too easily and have a difficult time of converting opportunities into goals. In the Champions League, Barcelona have only scored twice, and have been shut out in three of five matches. The only goals they’ve scored have come against Dynamo Kyiv.

In their favor, however, is the fact Bayern Munich are going to be without a handful of players and Barcelona won’t have to deal with fans in attendance. But those advantages can only do so much.

In any case, Barcelona will need to play the game of their season if they want to make it to the Round of 16. The club will take a hit both on the sporting and economic side should they fail to do so.

If the worst case scenario occurs, their only hope is Kyiv managing a win or a draw against Benfica.

Optimism is a good thing to have. Blind optimism, on the other hand, is simply not wanting to see the situation right in front of you.