How Barcelona can leapfrog Liverpool to finish in top spot in Champions League | OneFootball

La Liga giants Barcelona could this evening close out the first-ever newly-formatted Champions League campaign with table-topping status in the league phase.

Hansi Flick’s troops are of course primed to return to action in short order.

Sitting 2nd in the Champions League table, Barcelona have welcomed Serie A high-flyers Atalanta to Catalunya’s capital, for a highly-anticipated showdown.

And, in the case of emerging victorious, the Blaugrana could yet leapfrog Liverpool into top spot in the standings.

The Reds, for their part, have made the trip to the Netherlands, for a meeting with Eredivisie heavyweights PSV Eindhoven.

And boss Arne Slot has already made clear that he considers the clash largely unimportant, having left the likes of Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah out of his travelling squad.

Should as much culminate in a defeat for Liverpool, and Barcelona manage to get the better of Atalanta, then the latter will in turn secure their status as the first-ever league phase winners in the new edition of the Champions League.

Conor Laird – GSFN