Crashing out at the group stage again would be a huge blow to Barcelona's finances, whose perilous state led the club's board to sell a stake in their TV rights and agree to the sale of their audio-visual division.
Barcelona's Raphinha scored deep into stoppage time to hand his side a dramatic 5-4 comeback win at Benfica and a place in the Champions League last 16.
The first legs of the ties will take place on February 16, with the return match a week later on February 23.
Ancelotti's second-string players proved they were up to the task as they secured three points for Real and kept them on course for the inevitable LaLiga title celebrations.
Barcelona have sacked manager Xavi Hernandez, the La Liga club said on Friday, four weeks after confirming he would honour the last year of his contract and lead them through next season.
IMAGES from the Champions League matches played on Tuesday.
Alves joined Barcelona from Sevilla in 2008 and made 391 appearances, becoming a regular under ex-managers Pep Guardiola, Tito Vilanova, Tata Martino and Luis Enrique before leaving for Juventus in 2016.
Barca said the move was part of their efforts to bring soccer and music together.
Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr both scored a brace to give the LaLiga leaders a 4-1 home win over Valencia
Barcelona have appointed former German national team and Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick as head coach on a two-year contract, the LaLiga club said on Wednesday.
Antoine Griezmann scored two goals and provided two assists as Barcelona staged a stunning last-gasp comeback before beating Granada 5-3
'Barca is a great club that has to win the Champions League, that's why I came here.'
Zinedine Zidane's side joined Atletico Madrid on 66 points and moved top of the table
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti is looking for a big improvement from his side when they play their first home game of the LaLiga season, against Valladolid on Sunday, with Kylian Mbappe making his Santiago Bernabeu debut
Messi brace leads Barca to within four points of La Liga summit
Sporting marked the final home game of coach Ruben Amorim's reign in stunning fashion as Viktor Gyokeres' hat-trick saw them come from behind to thrash Manchester City 4-1 and maintain their superb start to the Champions League on Tuesday.
News of all that transpired on and off the football field.
Barcelona were held 1-1 at home by Napoli in the first leg of their Europa League knockout stage playoff
IMAGES from soccer matches played on Monday.
Chelsea struggled to deal with Barca's punishing press and they went 2-0 behind in the 14th minute
Real Madrid are comfortably perched on top of the La Liga standings with 66 points while Barca are now third on 54 points with a game in hand, three points behind second-placed Sevilla.
Alves had maintained the sex was consensual. The prosecutor was seeking a nine-year prison term.
The Argentine then lifted his shirt to reveal a red and black replica kit of his hometown club Newell's Old Boys bearing the number 10 which Maradona wore during his brief spell at the Rosario side in 1993.
Goals from Memphis Depay, Luuk de Jong and the returning Ansu Fati helped Barcelona claim a much-needed 3-0 home victory over Levante in LaLiga on Sunday.
Xavi played for Barcelona for 17 years, making 767 appearances and winning 25 trophies, including four Champions League titles and eight LaLiga crowns.
The Dutchman burst through the middle of the pitch and laid the ball off for Messi to dribble into the net for an 18th league goal of the season, extending his lead at the top of the scoring charts.
Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski scored a quick-fire second-half double to set the leaders on course for a thrashing of Real Madrid.
Luuk de Jong's first-half header gave Barcelona a 1-0 win at Mallorca
Manchester City squandered a three-goal lead to draw 3-3 with Feyenoord in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha both scored twice to help Barcelona thrash hosts Villarreal 5-1.
Real Madrid paid for defensive mistakes as they were held to a 3-3 draw at lowly local rivals Rayo Vallecano on Saturday.
'But when I arrived in Barcelona, I was told that it was no longer possible, that I could not stay and that I had to find another club, because Barca could not afford to extend my contract. That changed my plans.'
Messi was named the top-earning footballer in the world by French newspaper L'Equipe earlier this year, claiming an estimated 8.2 million euros ($9.97 million) per month from Barca.
Rangers joined Barca in the last eight despite losing 2-1 at Red Star Belgrade, progressing 3-2 on aggregate.
Marseille cement second place with Montpellier win
Bilbao condemn fans behaviour in Europa League match at Roma
Luis Suarez has agreed a deal with the club to end his contract and settled on personal terms with Atletico Madrid,
IMAGES from Europa League matches played on Thursday.
A round-up of Saturday's action in LaLiga, Ligue 1 and Serie A.
A round-up of Wednesday's action in the UEFA Champions League.
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