Permutations: How Barcelona can avoid a second consecutive UEFA Champions League group-stage exit

Topics: Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Viktoria Plzen, UEFA Champions League

The Blaugrana are on the brink of another embarrassing group-stage exit. However, all hope is not lost for the Spanish giants.

The UEFA Champions League resumes this midweek, meaning for Barcelona fans, doomsday could be on the horizon.

The reason is simple: for the second consecutive season, the Blaugrana could suffer another embarrassing group stage exit from this competition. However, this time around, this would have come on the back of heavy summer spending and no mid-season managerial change.

Despite recruiting the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha to strengthen their squad, Xavi's men have been inconsistent in Europe. The Spanish giants have shown promise and dominance in nearly every game and yet Barcelona have won only once in their four outings.

Their first defeat came away to Bayern Munich, losing 2-0 despite putting in a lovely display at the Allianz Arena. This Wednesday, the Catalan heavyweights will face off with the Bundesliga champions once more after suffering back-to-back disappointments against Inter Milan, losing 1-0 at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza before drawing 3-3 at the Camp Nou.

Bayern are through to the next round and currently top the table with 12 points. The Nerazzurri, meanwhile, are in second with seven points while Barcelona are in third with four, meaning they are fighting an uphill battle in order to avoid demotion to the UEFA Europa League knockout round playoffs.

But what do Lewandowski and Co. need to occur in order to survive? Here is a breakdown of the permutations.

Barcelona, Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Viktoria Plzen, Standings, UEFA Champions League

A crucial win vs Bayern Munich

Two things must occur in order for Barcelona to avoid elimination on Matchday 5. The first and foremost task for the Blaugrana is to beat the team in front of them. Unfortunately, that is easier said than done given the club's recent form against Bayern Munich.

A defeat on Wednesday, which is a plausible outcome, will eliminate the Spanish giants regardless of the result in the other game. Meanwhile, a draw would only suffice if Inter Milan lose their clash with Viktoria Plzeň, hence why Xavi's men must win their fixture. However, it should be noted that Barcelona can still crash out even if they beat Nagelsmann's side.

The importance of Inter Milan vs Viktoria Plzeň

As mentioned earlier, a win for Barcelona might not be enough. If Inter Milan beat Viktoria Plzeň, then that would render the other result insignificant. This is due to the UEFA Champions League's tiebreaker rules.

Head-to-head results will be used to separate two teams tied on points, and with the Nerazzurri winning one and drawing the other in their two clashes with the Blaugrana, Xavi's men must rack up more points than the Serie A giants as the tiebreaker does not favor them. Three points currently separate the two clubs. Hence, victory over Viktoria Plzeň would mean Barcelona can only match their opposition's points tally irrespective of what occurs in Bayern Munich vs Inter on Matchday 6. As a result, Inzhagi's men cannot pick up any more than two points from a possible six, or else Lewandowski and Co. won't be able to leapfrog them in the standings.