After knocking out Borussia Dortmund with a 5-2 aggregate score in the quarterfinals—thanks to a 4-0 win in the first leg and a 3-1 loss in the second—Barcelona are through to the Champions League semifinals for the first time in six years.

The painful memory of Anfield

Back then, the Catalans were knocked out by Liverpool, who ended up winning the 2018-19 edition. After a 3-0 win at the Camp Nou, Barça suffered a brutal 4-0 defeat at Anfield, one of the darkest nights in their European history.

In the 2020-21 season, with Quique Setién on the bench, the team was destroyed 8-2 in the quarterfinals by Bayern Munich in a single-leg tie at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon. That defeat still stands as the club’s worst ever in European competitions. Leading the German side was Hansi Flick, who had taken over from Niko Kovač. On the Barça side, Setién had replaced Ernesto Valverde.

Dark years in Europe

The following seasons (2021-22 and 2022-23) were rough for the Catalan club, as they were knocked out in the group stage of the Champions League both times—some of the worst campaigns in their recent history.

Last season, under Xavi Hernández, Barça made it to the quarterfinals. They won 3-2 in the first leg against PSG, but lost 4-1 in the return match, which was heavily affected by the red card shown to Ronald Araújo, leaving them a man down for over an hour.