Barcelona last played in Europa league in 2003

FC Barcelona have been knocked out of the Champions League after the group stage and this was the first time in 21 years that the five-time Champions League winners failed to make it into the knockout stage. The last time they failed to do was during the 2000-01 season under the captaincy of Pep Guardiola.

As Barcelona finished third in their group with Bayern Munich and Benfica occupying the top two slots, they would now compete in the knockout stage of the Europa League. The Catalan club last played in Europe's second-tier continental competition back in the 2003/04 season when it was called the UEFA Cup.

Barcelona were knocked out of the UEFA Cup from the round of 16 after they lost 1-0 on aggregate against Celtic. The Scottish club won the first leg at home and managed to hold the Spanish side to a goalless draw in Camp Nou.