Barcelona forward Raphinha had identified one team he believed could prevent the Blaugrana from lifting the Champions League trophy this season — but that forecast has already proven inaccurate.
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The Catalan club has claimed the Champions League title five times, most recently in 2015 under Luis Enrique, when they secured a historic treble. ..Continue Reading
Their previous victories came in 1992, 2006, 2009, and 2011. However, recent years have seen them struggle in the competition’s latter stages, with last season ending in a quarter-final exit at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain.
This season, though, Barcelona have shown strong form in Europe, finishing second in the new 36-team Champions League standings with 19 points, suffering just one defeat in eight matches.
They cruised past Benfica in the round of 16 and are now set to face Borussia Dortmund in a two-legged quarter-final tie.
Raphinha has been pivotal to Barca’s campaign, tallying 11 goals and five assists in the Champions League so far.
Despite his impressive performances on the field, the Brazilian winger’s earlier prediction missed the mark.
Back in January, during a video with YouTuber and content creator Adri Contreras, Raphinha shared who he believed Barcelona would meet in the Champions League final in Munich on May 31 — but events have since proved him wrong.
“My prediction for the Champions League final? Barcelona vs. Manchester City,” Raphinha said.
Raphinha’s prediction unraveled just weeks after he made it. Manchester City, the reigning champions from 2023 under Pep Guardiola, were knocked out by Real Madrid — the 15-time European titleholders.
Despite leading twice in the first leg at home, City were eliminated with a 6-3 aggregate loss, thanks to a stunning second-leg hat-trick from Kylian Mbappé at the Santiago Bernabéu.
That clash took place in the knockout play-offs. Real Madrid then progressed past their city rivals Atlético Madrid on penalties in the round of 16, earning a quarter-final tie against Arsenal.
However, Arsenal shocked the Spanish giants in the first leg, claiming a commanding 3-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium, with two spectacular free-kicks from Declan Rice and a goal from Mikel Merino.
If Barcelona manage to overcome Borussia Dortmund, they’ll face either Bayern Munich or Inter Milan in the semi-finals. Inter currently hold a narrow 2-1 lead after the first leg at the Allianz Arena.
Meanwhile, the winner between Arsenal and Real Madrid will go on to play either Paris Saint-Germain or Aston Villa — and one of those four teams could be Barcelona’s final opponent, should they make it to Munich.
