Defeat to United will cost Barca's players £20m in lost bonuses

The salary structure at the Nou Camp means 35 per cent of all player wages is related to win bonuses. With an average salary of £3.2m and the bonus system heavily weighted towards winning the Champions League, it means the whole squad could lose more than £1m each.

That is further bad news for Barcelona's stars who go into tomorrow's first leg of their semi-final against United at the Nou Camp as the underdogs following a poor run of domestic form.

With Real Madrid ready to clinch Spain's La Liga title by beating Athletic Bilbao next weekend, it means the Champions League is Barcelona's last chance of silverware this season.

And the pressure is clearly getting to the Catalan side with Frank Rijkaard deciding to hold training behind closed doors yesterday for only the third time this season.

So pessimistic is the mood among the fans and the media that even the return to fitness of Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Rafa Marquez and Deco hasn't been enough to lift the gloom around the Nou Camp.

And a PR stunt where the entire squad posed behind the banner bearing the words "If we all pull together then it makes us strong", has not had any effect either.

The fans are down because they have seen their side ship 23 goals in the last 17 games and win only four of 16 away matches in the Spanish championship.

Thierry Henry has been disappointing since his summer move from Arsenal and may not even get the chance to renew his old rivalry with United as he was forced to miss training yesterday because of a fever.

Henry is not the only player to have struggled at the Nou Camp this term. Brazil play-maker Ronaldinho and Italy full-back Gianluca Zambrotta have disappointed, and Barcelona are trying to offload the pair to AC Milan, while frustrated striker Samuel Eto'o has announced that if the club don't win a trophy by the end of next season then he'll be off.

Despite the crisis at the Nou Camp and the fact they are facing Europe's form team, midfielder Deco refuses to accept Barcelona won't knock out Sir Alex Ferguson's side.

"Manchester United are favourites, everyone says they will win but we simply don't care," said Deco.

"I'm quite confident that we can impose our game on United and that we'll go through. There is pressure but the only thing weighing down on our shoulders is not financial nor that we have, sadly, slipped out of our own title race but that this is our shot at getting through to the final in Moscow."

Deco may be a rare voice of optimism but he does have some support from Johan Cruyff — surprising given that the Dutchman has criticised his former club's play this season.

"Barcelona will go through if they don't do anything stupid over the two legs," said Cruyff. "Despite all their failures in the league, despite the fact that they've literally tossed away their domestic chances, European football is a completely different beast for this club and I'm convinced that Barcelona will knock United out.

"Technically there is nothing to choose between the two sides. They have Ronaldo, we have Messi; United have Rooney and Barcelona have Eto'o.

"It's all going to revolve on which team can impose its style on the other. If Barcelona can dominate possession then I'm sure they'll be in Moscow next month."