24.11.2010 22:37

First place secured

www.fcbarcelona.cat

FC Barceona secured first place in Group D of the Champions League and will head into the next round.

The Blaugrana can now look ahead to their last game of the phase against Rubin Kazan next month with no pressure on them after completing their task. Pep Guardiola and his players now know that they will go into the draw for the first knockout round on December 17 in Nyon, Switzerland, as top seeds.

Seven years

Qualifying this term is the seventh consecutive time that FC Barcelona have progressed from the group stage. On five of those occasions the team has gone through after winning their group.

Once only

Only once since the turn of the century have Barça not competed in the Champions League when they failed to qualify for the 2003/04 competition. The format of the event has changed as the team went through as group winners to the quarter finals in 2000, 2002 and 2003 and met Chelsea, Panathinaikos and Juventus, respectively.