Barcelona look to reach Europa League semifinals

Barcelona need a win to make it to the Europa League semifinals

A win is what Barcelona need against Eintracht Frankfurt in order to reach the Europa League semifinals.

The Catalan side drew the first leg 1-1 in Germany with Frankfurt the better of the two teams.

Barcelona released their official squad list with Memphis Depay and Sergiño Dest given the medical green light. Gerard Pique, who missed the match against Levante, was also included in the list but has yet to be given the all clear.

The hope is to see how Pique feels prior to the game and then a decision will be made as to whether he can play or not.

One of the complaints by Xavi Hernandez, and the players, was the state of the pitch. With the second leg at the Camp Nou, that won’t be an excuse as the onus to progress will be on Barcelona.

"“We are obliged to win and play well,” the Barcelona coach said in a news conference on Wednesday. “This is Barca. A 1-0 in the 90th minute is not enough, we know this.“For those that know the club, it’s about excellence in everything we do. That’s why this is the most difficult club in the world. There is no comparison. There is no other club in the world like this, [with that] demand to win playing well. It is very difficult.”Source: ESPN"

Given how his team played at home, Frankfurt manager Oliver Glasner believes his team can go through and used Villarreal’s triumph over Bayern Munich as an example.

"“We looked at the 90 minutes from the first leg. We did a lot of things well, but we lacked a bit of concentration defensively. It will be very important to be efficient. Our example is Villarreal, they won the tie thanks to their excellent efficiency. We need to improve to win tomorrow.”Source: Football España"

The good news for Barcelona is the possible return of Dest. Without the American , Xavi was forced to play Ronald Araujo at right-back with mixed results. If Pique is not available, Araujo’s leadership in the center of defense is crucial.

Dest was putting in good performances before he got injured in the second leg against Galatasaray.

Memphis is unlikely to start as Ferran Torres, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ousmane Dembele are expected to lead the attack. However, having someone the caliber of Memphis as an option off the bench is something any manager would want.

In the first leg, Barcelona’s midfield was unable to link up with the attackers. Poor touches and erring on simple passes were abundant as Frankfurt’s press caused Barcelona headaches.

The comeback against Levante was a good way for Barcelona to head into the match. At the beginning of the season, being in the Europa League was not part of their plans. But now that they’re in it, the objective is to get through to the semifinals and win. Anything less would be deemed a disappointment.