Barcelona failed to score for the first time in 17 games and had to settle for an underwhelming 0-0 draw at home against Galatasaray on Thursday in the Europa League round of 16 first leg. Barca outshot the Turkish visitors 15-3 and beat them on xG 1.6-0.2, but they had nothing to show for it. Xavi's men came close a few times including an effort from Frenkie de Jong late in the game that kissed off the left post.
The Spanish side dominated the ball with 68.3% possession but had issues breaking down a stubborn and organized Galatasaray defense. They closed down well, kept shape and held Barca to just four shots on goal. Barca entered the game in the best form under Xavi, winning four straight and scoring 14 goals in the process.
With this result, Barca must win at Galatasaray in a week's time to advance to the last eight (Thursday, 1:45 p.m. ET | Paramount+). Any draw would result in the game going to extra time, and from there it will be penalties if things remain level.
Here are three takeaways from the match.
Domenec Torrent's side will take that every single day. A 0-0 draw at the Camp Nou against a red-hot Barcelona side coached by Torrent's former player Xavi gives Galatasaray a ton of confidence ahead of the second leg, where a crazy atmosphere awaits in Istanbul. Torrent had his team sit back and defend -- they did it well by remaining composed and organized -- and they now can return home and feel that this tie is there for the taking.
They may just have had three shots on goal and a 0.2 xG, but that was exactly how they had to approach this game. Anything can happen in the second leg, but I suspect we will see a similar approach from the Turkish giants with the hope of making it an ugly match that they can grind out.
Not all that worried for Barca in the second leg because two key players didn't start this match but surely will in the second leg. First, there is Sergio Busquets who played in the second half and will likely get the nod at defensive midfield, but the big change will be having Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the XI. He's been the team's best attacker since joining on a free transfer from Arsenal with five goals in his last four games entering Thursday. This felt like Xavi thinking he could get by without playing some key players, but it didn't work out and leaves things hanging in the balance. Aubameyang should be able to produce with 90 minutes in the second leg, and having him and Busquets from the start should make a noticeable different early. Make no mistake -- Barca are still the considerable favorites to reach the last eight.
Not expecting them to put four past Galatasaray as they did against Napoli, and credit is due with the Turkish side's fantastic defensive record in the knockout stage, but they've conceded in their last six home games, including a 3-1 loss to Kasimpasa and 2-1 to league leaders Trabzonspor. This draw for them is quite a surprise when you consider they are in 12th place in the Turkish League and regularly struggle. If they somehow get by, it would be quite the massive upset, despite being a recognizable name. Barca should be able to see enough on the film -- knowing they must look to exploit the wings and the end line -- to get through. Otherwise, all the progress that has been made under Xavi will be questioned.
Barca 0, Galatasaray 0. Poor result for Xavi's men as they just couldn't break the visitors down. Galatasaray will take that, and a crazy atmosphere awaits for next week's second leg in Istanbul.
Not long to go now, and this would be a fine result for Galatasaray.
It nearly looked like a shock lead for Galatasaray as Gomis finishes calmly after being played through, but he is ruled offside.
A crazy play sees Aubameyang perform a bike that falls to de Jong, but his quick shot hits off the left post!
Could it be for Depay?
They are seeing most of the ball and keeping it in the attacking third, but the defending from Galatasaray has been very good. The reaction to press when a Barca player first receives the ball has been superb.
Dembele, Busquets and Pique come on, while Ferran, Nico Gonzalez and Araujo come off.
At the break it is 0-0. Chances for both, though Barca's were better. It's an 0.14 xG for Barca on four shots, while the Turkish side are at 0.13 on three shots.
Good chance there for Barca as Depay goes for the back-post curler from about 16 yards out, but Pena does well to push it wide. Barca proceed to do nothing on the corner kick.
Akturkoglu almost scored a stunner! A great run and cut inside sees his shot deflected and sent just over the crossbar! That was almost the opener after generating very little!
A free kick from Depay is hit well, curling over the wall and towards the post, but it's saved well Pena!
Zero combined shots, and 0.00 xG for both teams through the first 25 minutes ...
It's the long ball, with Pena trying to play long to find Babel. Barca are pressuring and that has left space in behind to do damage, but so far nothing.
It's an encouraging start for the home side as they threaten via set pieces. Galatasary left mainly defending, having committed a couple fouls already.
Underway at the Camp Nou!
In the group stage, Galatasaray conceded just three goals in their six games, and that came against some talented attacks like Lazio and Marseille. On the other side, they scored seven goals, but four game in a win against Marseille on Matchday 5.
Domenec Torrent spoke about Barca in his pre-match press conference and expects his side to be defending for much of the night.
"Barcelona are in great form at the moment. They may be at their peak. They will try to attack constantly. We will take precautions for that. We have to be extra careful in the last minutes. We need to be perfect against them."
From UEFA:
Barcelona have only played three other games at home to Turkish opposition, and have won them all. They beat Fenerbahçe 1-0 in 2001, Beşiktaş 5-0 the previous year and in the 1990/91 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, they beat Trabzonspor 7-2, having lost the first leg 1-0 away from home, Ronald Koeman scoring a hat-trick that night.
Pena; Van Aanholt, Marcao, Nelsson, Sacha Boey; Berkan, Taylan, Feghouli; Kerem, Mostafa, Babel.
Ter Stegen; Dest, Araujo, Eric Garcia, Jordi Alba; de Jong, Nico Gonzalez, Pedri; Adama Traore, Ferran Torres, Memphis Depay.
From our Chuck Booth:
Barcelona: Under Xavi, Barcelona are fun again. Unbeaten in their last 11 league matches, Barcelona have climbed to third in La Liga and while they probably won't catch Real Madrid, it's an impressive performance from the team that was mired in midtable land during the season. Xavi has wanted the team to play the Barcelona way and it shows as they boast the second-best pass completion in La Liga since Xavi has taken over. They're also holding the ball an impressive 62.9 percent of the time, just a hair behind Real Madrid for the lead. Sporting a goal difference of +15, the best defense has been attacking for them and that will continue to be the case facing Galatasaray.
Galatasaray: A team that doesn't try to push possession, Galatasaray may have to change their tactics to have a chance to get anything out of this match. Ceding possession to Barcelona will only lead to a loss so they'll hope that the midfield can be strong to win for the first time ever at Camp Nou. With their struggles domestically, Galatasaray are unbeaten in their last 10 European matches so Torrent can at least hope to lean on his team on a European night. But it likely won't be enough as Barcelona seems too strong to stop at this juncture.
Date: Thursday, Mar. 10 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
Location: Camp Nou -- Barcelona, Spain
Live stream: Paramount+
Odds: Barcelona -750; Draw +675; Galatasaray +2000 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Welcome to the CBS Sports live blog of the Europa League! I'm Roger Gonzalez, and I'll be providing updates from Thursday's clash between Barcelona and Galatasaray at the Camp Nou. Barca are the favorites after blasting Napoli in the knockout stage playoff round, and the Turkish giants are their next test.
