I think ETH probably accepts that the league is our only option for CL football.
The Barca game will simply be a benchmarking test to show how far we’ve come and how much further we’ve got to go to rub shoulders with the traditional European heavyweights. Having said that, this Barca team isn’t all that great
I know they've thrown a lot of games and couldn't make it out of their CL group, but you definitely have to look at their La Liga record. 18 played, 15 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss. Only 6 goals conceded, 14 clean sheets. That's a very strong defensive record and they have a fairly good attacking output of 37 goals, averaging > 2 goals a game.
Their record in Europe and cup games looks not so scary:
CL - 6 played, 2 wins, 1 draw, 3 losses, 12G forward, 12G against, no clean sheets (opponents Bayern, Inter and Viktoria Plzen)
Copa del Rey - 3 played, 3 wins, 10G forward, 3G against, 2 clean sheets (opponents Intercity, AD Ceuta, Real Sociedad)
Supercopa - 2 played, 1 win, 1 draw, 5G forward, 3G agains, no clean sheets (opponents Real Betis, Real Madrid)
Overall: 11 played, 6 wins, 2 draws, 3 losses, which still puts their win % at >50%.
They are not to be taken lightly, Xavi has done solid job, having them sit at the top of La Liga with 5 points lead, won the Supercopa, into the semis of Copa del Rey and still relevant in Europe albeit the Europa League.
It will be a very good test for us, but I am confident on our day we can eliminate them