Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernandez said the squad will gather to watch Inter Milan take on Viktoria Plzen in the Camp Nou dressing room with the “small hope” of seeing their flagging Champions League campaign revived.
Barca host Bayern Munich on Wednesday but will already have been sentenced to a second straight season in the Europa League knockout stages if Inter beat Plzen in Group C’s early game.
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However, if the Czech side, who have lost all four of their group games so far, produce a draw or win at the San Siro, then Barca will be handed a Champions League lifeline.
“More than believing in miracles, we maintain a small hope that something can happen,” Xavi said in a news conference on Tuesday.
“Look, it’s complicated. We are in an uncomfortable situation where we no longer depend on ourselves, but you should never lose hope.
“We will meet at Camp Nou two hours before the Bayern game and we will be following the Inter match. We will all watch it together in the dressing room before we play.”
If Inter do drop points and Barca then beat Bayern, who have already booked their place in the round of 16, the second qualification spot from the group would be decided on the final match day when Inter travel to Munich and Barca go to Plzen.
However, even if it does not reach that point, Xavi said it is still important for an improving Barca side to show that they can compete with Europe’s best against Bayern, who won 2-0 when the sides met at the Allianz Arena in September.
After further setbacks against Inter and Real Madrid in recent weeks, Barca have responded with resounding wins against Villarreal and Athletic Club in LaLiga.
