Only five current Barcelona players have experienced playing in a UCL semi-final | OneFootball

FC Barcelona reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League for the first time in 6 years as they beat the German side Borussia Dortmund 5-3 on aggregate.

Reaching the penultimate stage of the competition is thus a significant achievement for Hansi Flick. But the Blaugrana coach will now have to ensure his team does not face a fate as it did in its last UCL semi-final outing when they were eliminated by Liverpool by a 4-3 scoreline on aggregate.

The youth of the Barcelona squad and the break after which the team has reached this stage of the competition means there are very few players in Flick’s team who have experienced playing in this penultimate round of the tournament.

In fact, Mundo Deportivo notes that there are only five such players in the team who have previous experience of playing in the UCL semi-final stage.

The only player who has reached the semis with Barcelona in the current team is the goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, who also won the competition back in 2015. However, currently he is out with an injury, and it remains to be seen whether he will be ready to get back into action for his side’s next UCL match.

Robert Lewandowski is another player who has not only played in the semi-finals but has also won the most prestigious European trophy. He did so with Bayern Munich, under none other than Hansi Flick, but had also played in the semis with Borussia Dortmund.

Similarly, Frenkie de Jong is another such player who has experience playing in the penultimate round of the competition. He did so one year before joining Barcelona, as he helped his Ajax team get to the semi-final stage in the 2018-19 season, beating Real Madrid in the process.

Andreas Christensen has also not only played in a semi-final but has also won the big-ear trophy. He did so with Chelsea in 2021.

Lastly, last summer’s arrival, Dani Olmo, has also played in the UCL semis, doing so with his RB Leipzig team in 2020.

Thus, it will be a completely new experience for most Barcelona players as they step on the field for the semi-final of the UCL, against either Bayern Munich or Inter Milan.