Are Barcelona in trouble in the Champions League this season?

Barcelona’s opponents have 4 Champions League titles between them

Barcelona have been drawn into groups along with the likes of Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain before, but they have never met two former European champions in the same draw at the same time, along with a potential future European champion.

PSV Eindhoven and Inter Milan etched their names in the history of European football by winning the treble, with a gap of 22 years. Guus Hiddink won the Dutch treble with PSV in 1988, while José Mourinho led Inter to the Italian treble in 2010.

While none of these two clubs are what they were when they won the treble, they both have a history in European football. PSV Eindhoven are not expected to be too much of a threat to Barcelona’s qualification hopes, but Inter have the potential to cause an upset.

In recent years, Inter’s rejuvenation has been marred by inconsistency. They have changed managers all too often, but Luciano Spalletti has brought some stability to the 3-time European champions.

Mauro Icardi, Keita Baldé and Ivan Perišić are players of top calibre, and are capable of creating a lot of opportunities, with the aerial prowess of Icardi and the crossing ability of the wingers Perišić and Keita Baldé.

If they click, Gerard Piqué and Samuel Umtiti would need to be at their very best to stop them. Although they have a weak defence where Milan Škriniar is the only decent player, their midfield consists of able playmakers like Matías Vecino and Radja Nainggolan.

But the biggest threat will be posed by Tottenham Hotspur, who are slowly emerging as one of Europe’s elite clubs under the leadership of visionary Mauricio Pochettino, who is creating a side which will be able to challenge for the Champions League in a few years’ time.

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Their home-grown players, Harry Kane and Dele Alli, are England internationals capable of scoring from anywhere on the pitch, while the creative genius of Christian Eriksen makes Spurs’ three-pronged attack one of the most deadly in Europe.

Their defensive solidarity is famed throughout the Premier League, with Belgian stalwarts Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld acting as protection to the goal of Huge Lloris, who captained France to victory in the World Cup in Russia.

Their full-backs are no joke either, with the electric pace of Danny Rose and the immaculate crossing of Kieran Trippier, with experienced internationals Eric Dier and Mousa Dembélé acting as holding midfielders in a side where there is a perfect blend of youth and experience.

Tottenham’s bench is also filled with talent, with the likes of Lucas Moura, Erik Lamela and Fernando Llorente fully capable of making an impact as substitutes. The Londoners are title contenders in the Premier League, and will be tough opposition for Barça.

If Barcelona drop points against PSV Eindhoven, the chances of qualification will be severely damaged, while a loss against either Tottenham or Inter will give both of them incentive to do better than PSV and beat Barça to qualification.

Ernesto Valverde’s ‘one game at a time’ policy is not to work this season. The squad has depth enough for him to rest the first-team in games preceding Champions League games, and he should keep the players fresh for all European games, even against PSV Eindhoven.