The UEFA Europa League is certainly unfamiliar territory for Barcelona. Indeed, it was still known as the UEFA Cup the last time they slummed it in the continent’s secondary competition.
But having crashed out of the Champions League back in December, they pick up against Napoli in a mouth-watering tie at the Nou Camp on Thursday night.
No doubt a certain Diego Maradona will be looking down from the heavens and smiling as two clubs that he represented go into battle in the play-off round.
Ronaldinho on the ball during Barcelona’s last appearance in the UEFA Cup back in 2004 – they lost 1-0 on aggregate to Celtic at the last-16 stage of the competitionÂ
Argentine striker Javier Saviola was sent off for kicking Alan Thompson in a stormy first leg
It was a disappointing exit for Barcelona and their coach Frank Rijkaard 18 years agoÂ
Barcelona, hamstrung by colossal debts, have fallen upon difficult times but nonetheless their mere presence in the Europa League makes them automatically one of the favourites.
Back in 2004, when they last played in this tournament, coach Frank Rijkaard could certainly field a team of many talents – Ronaldinho, Javier Saviola, Xavi and Carles Puyol among them.
But that didn’t prevent them suffering a surprise defeat to Celtic at the last-16 stage.
That is not to diminish Martin O’Neill’s side, who had lost the UEFA Cup final to Jose Mourinho’s Porto a year earlier and won the bulk of Scottish titles around that time, but the 1-0 aggregate result was still a shock.
As mentioned, there was no shortage of talent in that Barcelona side. But Rijkaard’s team were also in good form at the time and undefeated in nine LaLiga matches ahead of the first leg in Glasgow, en route to a second-place finish that season behind Valencia.
That first match, played in front of a typically boisterous Celtic Park crowd, descended into rage and rancour on the pitch with three sent off.
A young Xavi (left) takes on Celtic’s Neil Lennon during the second leg of the tie in March 2004
The Barcelona team line up to observe a minute’s silence for the victims of the Madrid bombing earlier that day ahead of the first leg in GlasgowÂ
A melee as the players left the pitch at half-time led to Celtic goalkeeper Robert Douglas and Barcelona midfielder Thiago Motta being dismissed.
With tempers barely cooled, Barcelona went down to nine men shortly after half-time when Saviola stupidly kicked the back of Alan Thompson’s calves to earn a straight red.
It was perhaps appropriate, then, that Thompson would smash home Celtic’s winner 10 minutes later after Henrik Larsson nodded the ball perfectly into his path.
Barcelona certainly had plenty of chances on the night, with Saviola twice dragging shots wide when clear of the Celtic defence and Ronaldinho uncharacteristically skewing an effort off target too.
But it was to Celtic’s credit that they refused to be swamped by Barcelona’s neat passing football and they just about managed to keep enough discipline to take a lead to Catalonia.
O’Neill was quick to appreciate the magnitude of the result: ‘We have beaten Barcelona here and it doesn’t matter how things go in a fortnight, it has been a wonderful effort.’
A fair comment but it shouldn’t be forgotten that Celtic had been the team to drop down from the Champions League, having finished behind Bayern Munich and Lyon in a demanding group.
Barcelona, meanwhile, had played all season in the UEFA Cup after a disastrous 2002-03 season in which Louis van Gaal’s return to the club only led to inconsistent results and the resumption of his row with star player Rivaldo, who departed. They limped to a sixth-place finish.
Barca were still expected to advance ahead of the return leg at the Nou Camp. But a goalless draw saw them eliminated.
Celtic keeper David Marshall, just 19, made a succession of crucial saves with Douglas suspended as the Scottish side withstood a barrage of Barcelona attacks.
Alan Thompson fires home on the half-volley to score the decisive goal in the tie at Celtic Park
Thompson celebrates his first leg winner with Celtic holding on to the lead at the Nou Camp
Young centre-half John Kennedy also had the night of his life as he repeatedly denied Ronaldinho, Luis Garcia, Luis Enrique and Co.
Celtic withstood the siege on their goal, to the delight of 8,000 fans in the stadium and an estimated further 20,000 in the city who’d travelled over.
While it was their keeper and defenders who took the plaudits that night, Celtic striker Larsson impressed Barcelona so much they signed him the following summer.
It was certainly a very good Barcelona team but subsequent ones to emerge under Pep Guardiola would firmly put it in the shade.
A certain Lionel Messi, wearing the No 30 shirt, would make his breakthrough the next season and there was a certain state of flux.
Luis Enrique, the current coach of the Spain national side, announced his retirement that August at the age of 34. Marc Overmars would also soon call it a day as well.
Midfielder Phillip Cocu, who played in both legs, would be moved on at the end of the season after failing to agree a new contract.
Another Dutchman, the defender Michael Reiziger, also left the Nou Camp in 2004, joining Middlesbrough on a Bosman.
The Argentina Saviola scored 19 times that season but was deemed surplus by Rijkaard and was loaned out to Monaco the following summer. Patrick Kluivert, who didn’t feature against Celtic, was also pushed out.
Luis Garcia was sold to Liverpool for £6million and proved an important figure in their 2005 Champions League success.
David Marshall makes one of several crucial saves, from Gerard Lopez, during the second leg
Jubilant Celtic fans celebrate their surprise progression after holding on against Barcelona
There was clearly an awareness of great talent about to come through and you can see that with Xavi already starting games and Andres Iniesta an unused substitute in both Celtic games.
Xavi and Iniesta, as we all know, would go on to become the world’s best midfield partnership.
Others bridged the divide between Barcelona sides. Carles Puyol, the ultimate one-club man, was only just getting started and had another glorious decade to come. Likewise the keeper, Victor Valdes.
Celtic’s Henrik Larsson celebrates their win over Barcelona (left), the club he would sign for just a few months later (right)
Ronaldinho, who’d only joined Barcelona in 2003, won two league titles and the Champions League before he departed in 2008, with the club on the cusp of even greater heights.
All of this ensured that Barcelona would not have to play in the UEFA Cup or the Europa League for 18 years – until now.
It reflects how their stock has fallen in the recent past and Napoli will fancy their chances of emulating Celtic to claim a famous scalp.