(Football news) In an intriguing group, Barcelona leads the section with nine points, tied with Porto in second place. Shakhtar Donetsk, in third position, trails the leaders by just three points.

If Barcelona had defeated Shakhtar on November 7, they would have advanced to the Champions League knockout round with two games remaining; instead, the Ukrainian team won 1-0, placing significant pressure on the La Liga leaders.

Although Xavi’s team leads Group H, they are far from comfortable since Porto and Shakhtar are only two points apart in second and third place, respectively, on the same number of points (nine).

In addition, a draw would suffice if Shakhtar were to lose or draw with Royal Antwerp in the other match in the section. A victory for Barcelona on Tuesday would guarantee them a berth in the competition’s last-16 stage.

Xavi’s team will be desperate to avoid having to wait until December 13 to find out their fate if they lose. A victory for Shakhtar and a loss for the Catalan team would leave the two teams tied on nine points going into the final matchday.

There is a lot of pressure on the 43-year-old Xavi in this competition because he has failed in his two tries to lead the Catalan team into the Champions League knockout stage.

As previously reported, Porto has been playing well in Group H, winning three of their four games and losing one to accumulate nine points, which has put them in second place in the standings.

If Shakhtar loses to Antwerp or draws with them, the Portuguese giants would go on to the competition’s knockout round; conversely, if Shakhtar loses to the team now bottom of the group, a draw would be sufficient for the Portuguese giants.

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