Barcelona get difficult group in Champions League

Barcelona were drawn against Tottenham, PSV Eindhoven and Inter Milan.

Barcelona have a history of being drawn into very difficult groups in the Champions League group-stage, having faced tough opponents like Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Juventus in the very first stage of the competition.

But this time around, the club have been drawn against Premier League giants Tottenham, 2010 European champions Inter Milan and 1988 Champions League winners PSV Eindhoven. This is one of the hardest groups in the Champions League this season.

Barcelona have never faced Tottenham in the Champions League before. The two sides faced off in the UEFA European Cup in 1982, with Spurs emerging as winners in the two-legged tie, with a draw and a slim 1-0 victory.

Barça were drawn into the same group as PSV Eindhoven in the 1997/98 season, and both the home leg and the away leg ended in 2-2 draws, with the Catalan club finishing bottom of the group, in one of the club’s worst Champions League performances.

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But against Inter, Barcelona have a very good record. The Italian giants met the Blaugrana for the very first time in the group stages of the 2002/03 Champions League, with a draw and a win for Barça. In the 2008/09 season, the two sides met four times, twice in the group stage and twice in the semi-finals. Barça won and drew in the group stage, but lost on aggregate in the semi-finals.

But times have changed and history matters little in the modern game. The side to beat in Group B is Tottenham, who have a very stable side capable of taking on any top European club and giving them a tough time, with the likes of Christian Eriksen, Harry Kane and Dele Alli.

PSV Eindhoven will not be very hard to beat, with the Dutch side having declined considerably since their glory days in the late 20th century. But Mexican winger Hirving Lozano has the ability to cause problems, and the side cannot afford to be complacent against a team which has Lozano.

But the tricky side will be Inter, who are returning to the Champions League after 8 years struggling to secure qualification and playing in the Europa League. They have invested wisely, and have a good team led by Mauro Icardi, along with a wily coach in Luciano Spalletti.

Although the Nerazzurri may be inconsistent at times, they have the potential to cause problems, especially with Croatian winger Ivan Perišić and Argentine forward Mauro Icardi, who are significant attacking threats.

Compared to last season, when the club was drawn into a group with Juventus, Sporting and Olympiacos, this is a very tough group. But the squad has enough quality and depth to get a first-place finish. But it will be anything but easy.