Barcelona head to Germany to face Bayern Munich in a game they know could see them booted out of the Champions League before Christmas.
It has been 20 years since the Catalan side failed to make it out of the group stages of Europe's premier club competition but Xavi Hernandez's side know anything less than a win behind-closed-doors in Munich would likely be the end of the road.
Benfica, who currently sit third, two points behind Barcelona, know victory over Dynamo Kiev in Lisbon, which is seen as highly probable, and defeat for the Spaniards away in Munich would see Xavi's side dumped into the Europa League.
The last time Barcelona failed to get out of the group stages of the Champions League was 20 years ago when they had Rivaldo (back row, second from left) in attack and a 20-year-old Xavi (front row, second from left) in midfield. AC Milan and Leeds United beat them to qualification
Xavi (middle) is now the Barcelona manager and his side risk a repeat of a group stage exit
Reputationally it would be the latest knock on Barcelona but financially it would have huge repercussions at a time when the club has already been stretched to the limit.
To remember the last time Barcelona failed to make it out of the group stage, minds need to be cast back 20 years.
Led by Lorenzo Serra Ferrer, the successor to Louis van Gaal at the Nou Camp, Barcelona found themselves in a group with AC Milan, Leeds United and Besiktas.
Lined with star names such as Rivaldo, Luis Enrique, Emmanuel Petit, Frank de Boer, Carles Puyol, Xavi and others, what followed was a dramatic exit and drop into the UEFA Cup.
Here, Sportsmail recounts that torrid group campaign - and why it serves as a warning to the current crop in Munich tonight.
Having been beaten semi-finalists in 1999-2000 there was a level of expectation that there would be more of the same the following season - provided they could avoid burn-out.
Serra Ferrer was at the helm in place of the ousted Van Gaal and he went into the group stage campaign urging caution, keen to stress he didn't want his side to peak too early.
But when they produced a dazzling opening group game display to batter Leeds 4-0 at the Nou Camp, all this talk of caution seemed all the more nonsensical.
The four goals were of the highest quality. First, Rivaldo bamboozled Leeds with his tricky skills, then Frank de Boer produced the goal of the night with a stunning free-kick before a late brace from Patrick Kluivert.
In their first match, a star-studded Barcelona took on Leeds, who made a competition debut
Leeds were simply blown away on the night and Barcelona ran out comfortable 4-0 winners
'Barcelona are a fantastic team. We knew what to expect, having seen their players on television, but you have to actually play against these people to really know how good they are,' Leeds boss David O'Leary conceded.
'I'm not looking for excuses and I'm not saying we would have won but with other players we might have done better. We simply had too many players back home.
'I'm proud to have had my first match as a manager in the Champions League at Barcelona, which is a great club, and I hope to be back to give them a better game.'
It was as dominant a display as you'd see and perhaps that was to Barcelona's detriment because from here on in the problems began to pile up.
Next up was a trip to Turkey to face a Besiktas side that had never beaten Spanish opposition.
Problems soon mounted with back to back defeats in the next games, leading to Barcelona fans jeering striker Rivaldo
Champions League football was back at Istanbul's BJK İnönü Stadium for the first time since 1997 and after being torn apart in a 4-1 defeat to Milan, little resistance was expected when Barcelona rolled into town.
And yet when the final whistle blew the Turkish side were toasting a famous 3-0 victory with Ahmet Dursun scoring a brace.
Barcelona were stunned. Now everyone in the group was level on three points after Lee Bowyer's goal gave Leeds victory over Milan at Elland Road.
'We failed to see off the opposition when we had them groggy,' Serra Ferrer said. 'We have to use this defeat as a lesson.'
Besiktas was the double-header Barcelona had been banking on. Milan, with legendary figures such as Dida, Paulo Maldini and Andriy Shevchenko in their side, would always be a tough nut to crack. Going head to head in Spain, having been schooled out in Turkey, suddenly looked ominous.
This was a heavyweight clash with some of the game's greatest players on display and those lofty expectations, inevitably, led to a nervy and disjointed start.
Having both already lost they knew every result would be absolutely vital - and so when Barcelona found themselves turned over 2-0 on their own patch, Milan producing a masterclass in the art of defending before unleashing a sting in attack, Barcelona's hill just got steeper.
Francesco Coco nodded in Frederico Giunti's left-wing free kick to make it 1-0 before half-time and Oliver Bierhoff scored a header of his own to seal victory in the second half.
Having been beaten at home, Barcelona needed to respond on their trip to Milan and it took a Rivaldo hat-trick to rescue a point in a 3-3 draw, keeping their knockout stage hopes alive
Xavi, just 20 at the time in the centre of Barcelona's midfield, was thrown in at the deep end
'Milan were sharper than us and we have to congratulate them,' an anguished Barca boss said.
'What's difficult in
