It has been an almost perfect 24 hours for FC Barcelona. They started the penultimate Champions League matchday in 15th place and finished it ninth, knowing that qualification for the Top 8 (which grants direct access to the round of 16) is now in their own hands.

That's all thanks not only to the 4-2 victory away to Slavia Prague but also to the fact that an unexpectedly large number of teams in the top part of the table dropped points on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

Barça now face Copenhagen next Wednesday 28, when all games will be kicking off at the same time, 9pm CET, knowing that victory will almost certainly be enough to ensure a place in the top eight, and for every goal they score, their chances get even better.

Barça currently sit ninth, but the fact that the teams in sixth and seventh place, PSG and Newcastle, face each other on the final matchday means that at least one of the teams directly above them will not be winning on Wednesday.

Eight 13 points

However, it is still very mathematically possible that Barça could win the game and not finish in the top eight. That's because there are no fewer than seven other teams on 13 points.

PSG, Newcastle and Chelsea currently have better goal differences than Barça, while Sporting Lisbon, Manchester City, Atlético Madrid and Atalanta have weaker records. All those teams also know the importance of winning and doing so by a decent margin, so next Wednesday is going to be an interesting time.

Of course, the most important thing of all is just to make sure of the three points, because anything else and Barça are almost certainly looking at a play-off.

But, aiming higher, Barça could theoretically finish the league phase as high as third, although that would require an extraordinary combination of results.

All will be revealed on Wednesday!

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