PETE JENSON: Barcelona’s clash with Inter Milan tonight is far bigger than El Clasico

Barcelona face Inter Milan tonight for their future in the Champions League and for the survival of next summer’s transfer budget, relying heavily on players they are actively trying to get rid of for fear of a UEFA draw. conspiracy against them or even a final group match Bayern Munich stitch-up.

The urgency of the situation is best illustrated by the fact that their Champions League season is over tonight as they lose and Bayern take a point in their game against Viktoria Plzen. That scenario would mean that Xavi’s team would not remedy the situation in their last two games. They would be out.

No one is thinking of such a season-disrupting defeat – many Barcelona fans believe they will not only beat Inter – who have lost all five previous visits to Camp Nou – but that they will also beat Bayern in two weeks at the same stadium and top the group .

Inter Milan are second in the group behind Bayern Munich thanks to their win over Barcelona at the San Siro on matchday three of the Champions League last week

Wednesday’s game with Inter is more important than Sunday’s El Clasico with Real Madrid

They may also need to beat Bayern, as with less than three points against the Germans, they would fear Inter’s victory at the Allianz Arena in the two teams’ final group stage match.

A Diario Sport columnist on Monday suggested that some Barca players even feared Bayern would lose intentionally to ensure Inter would continue at Barca’s expense as payback for taking Lewandowski from them over the summer.

It is questionable whether there is enough bad blood between the two clubs to give up UEFA’s prize money for winning the group stage match – it certainly wasn’t seen when Lewandowski’s name was cheered by Bayern supporters in the first game between them, and in the way he was embraced by every Bayern player before kick-off. It’s also a big charge against a club with a reputation for ruthless and ruthless winning.

But it wouldn’t even need a Bayern no-show in the last game. The Germans will be through the final game and perfectly entitled to play a second series before important Bundesliga games – that would certainly be in Inter’s favour.

Barcelona spent £132million rebuilding the team over the summer and they had budgeted at least a run to the quarter-finals of the Champions League for this season.

Xavi calls each of the remaining matches ‘finals’ and if Barca want to win them all they need that man Lewandowski to find his form, or more to the point, Barcelona to find him on the pitch – the Polish forward is starving of service in the last two games in which he has not scored.

Barca also need some big displays of club legends trying to get rid of them. The campaign to persuade Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba to leave the club at the end of this season must be shelved as both, especially Pique, are still desperately needed.

Barcelona cannot afford to continue paying Alba and Pique until the end of their contracts in June 2024, as the sum of wages – both retroactively to this and next season – is around £63 million gross.

That is why the club bought Marcos Alonso and Andreas Christensen in the summer to ensure they didn’t have to choose Pique or Alba, forcing them out at the end of this season.

Barcelona will need major efforts from club legends such as Gerard Pique (right) and Jordi Alba (not pictured) – despite the Catalan giants trying to sell the pair to fund new signings

It hasn’t worked. Injuries have required both of them lately and have proven their worth. Pique was Barca’s best defender against Celta Vigo this weekend and Alba was the player who created more chances.

Barca must also clear their heads of the conspiracy theories that have clouded minds since the first game against Inter last week – a belief that UEFA is against them over their Super League escape plans.

All eyes will be on Polish referee Szymon Marciniak during the match after Barcelona felt bereft at that defeat at the San Siro.

A clear handball against Denzel Dumfries was not checked and the conspiracy theorists were on hand, suggesting that Barca’s continued loyalty to the Super League has left the European governing body keen to see the Catalans out of the competition as soon as possible.

If there are further VAR controversies tonight, the claims will resurface, as will a cheap yellow for Sergio Busquets, who will miss the next group game against Bayern if warned.

Barcelona could be out of the league if Inter win tonight and Bayern Munich get a point

Inter have not been kind to Barcelona’s very boisterous campaign against refereeing the first game. Joan Laporta told the club’s supporters last weekend: “It was an embarrassing refereeing and we let UEFA know.” Inter feel that this pressure is meant to get a more favorable performance from Marciniak tonight.

The financial ramifications of this competition are well documented. Barcelona spent more than £132 million over the summer rebuilding the team, but to pay for the expenses they’ve budgeted for this season for a minimal place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

They will earn around £8.4m if they make it to the last 16 and a further £9.3m if they make it to the quarter-finals. From there they can try to reach the semi-finals and earn the club a further £11 million, then make it to the final, making either a further £13.6m or £17.5m depending on whether they are lose or win.

Not leaving the group is not an option, because even winning the Europa League (and earning around 15 million euros) would not fill the financial black hole.

Moves for potential free agents Jorginho and N’Golo Kante are part of their plans next summer

Barcelona would also like to bring Lionel Messi back to Camp Nou at the end of the season

Plans for next summer are already focused on signing free transfers. Chelsea pair Jorginho and N’Golo Kante both expire on June 30 and are seen as an option to replace Busquets.

Lionel Messi is also a player who does not ask for a transfer fee and who has huge appeal for both sentimental and footballing reasons. Youri Tielemans from Leicester is also being watched.

But a free transfer does not exist and for such purposes the club still has to invest in registration fees and wages. That will be even more difficult as they blast past the financial catwalk this season.

When asked which game is more important – Real Madrid on Sunday or Inter tonight, a commentator in Barcelona this week said: ‘Inter, because a defeat to Madrid can be recovered’.

That sums it all up for Xavi – the European season will be beyond repair if the team makes a mistake. Just a win is enough.