Manchester United exited the Champions League in the group stage, and it seems that Barcelona will benefit most from this.
United lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich, leaving them at the bottom of their group with 4 points, with a single victory over Copenhagen, which was hard-fought at Old Trafford.
This early farewell may be a good omen for Barcelona, as the last time United finished last in their group and thus left European competitions, Barcelona were crowned Champions League.
This happened in the 2005-2006 season, when United came at the bottom of its group, which included Villarreal, Benfica, and Lille, after achieving only 6 points. Villarreal qualified as leaders with 10 points, and Benfica trailed behind them with 7 points.
At that time, Barcelona topped its group, which included Werder Bremen, Udinese, and Pathanaikos, and qualified for the round of 16, beating Chelsea, then passed Benfica and Milan in the quarter and semi-finals, and succeeded in achieving its second title in history after 1992, by defeating Arsenal in the famous Paris final 2-1.
This season, Barcelona also topped its group, and United exited the competition in last place in its group, so the question remains: Will Xavi Hernandez’s squad, which was part of the 2006 tournament, succeed in repeating the achievement in 2023?
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