The prospect of West Ham facing Barcelona in the Europa League competition moved a step closer after they crumbled to another 3-0 Champions Lagu defeat.
After yet another demoralizing loss struggling Barcelona faces a grim future in the Champions League.
The Catalan club followed its 3-0 opening loss against Bayern Munich with another 3-0 defeat at Benfica on Wednesday. Bottom of its group, Barcelona suddenly sees itself in danger of not reaching the knockout stage for the first time since 2000-01 and would automatically drop into the Europa League knockout stages.
Should the Hammers get past the group stage they move to the knockout stage of the UEFA competition.
The Europa League Round of 32 consists of 32 teams. They include the 12 group winners and 12 group runner-ups from the Europa League Group Stage along with the 8 third-placed teams from the Champions League Group Stage.
Should Barcelona finish third in their Champions League group West Ham have one of four chances of drawing the Spanish team.
In my 40 years of following the Hammers I have never been so excited by our team, I wasn’t even a teenager for the 3rd place in 1986. I idolised Mark Ward, Frank McAvennie, Tony Cottee, and wanted to take penalties like Ray Stewart.
I ended up a lawnmower mechanic in later life, but hey, I guess the scouts must have missed me?
We Hammers fans are a cautious bunch, it’s embedded in our club song, but I’m starting to believe. I really do think we are starting to put together a squad of players that can push us up a level.
I have to give Leicester a nod, they have proven to the Premier League teams that to crack open the top 4 clubs is not impossible.
So a nod to the Gaffer, a nod to the owners, and especially Mark Noble.
I don’t think it should be underestimated his influence in the changing room.
He is the same fan I was way back in ’86, the scouts did find him, and he knows what it is to be West Ham “till I die”.
We are seeing this in every performance this team puts in…
Fortune can’t hide forever.
We would only face a potential tie with Barca if we finished runner-up in our group. If we win the group we go straight to the round of 16, by-passing the playoff round. There is no round of 32.