Barcelona’s tricky run of fixtures after the international break

Barcelona went into the second international break of the 2023/24 season on a disappointing note as they were unable to get a victory against Granada on Sunday night.

The Catalans did manage to avoid a defeat, coming back from two goals down to finish the match with a 2-2 stalemate and salvaging a point, but the result was far from satisfactory.

As such, the reigning La Liga champions now find themselves third in the table, three points behind leaders and arch-rivals Real Madrid.

Things will not get any easier for Barcelona once they return from the international break as they have some interesting fixtures lined up.

Tricky fixtures ahead

Indeed, upon returning after the hiatus, the Blaugrana will face off against Athletic Club at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on October 22.

The Basque club, under the tutelage of former Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde, can be a tough nut to crack, as was the case during the last meeting between the two teams in March this year, with the Catalans scraping away with a 1-0 win.

Soon after that, the Blaugrana will come up against Ukrainian champions Shakhtar Donetsk in their third UEFA Champions League Group H fixture.

Despite registering two wins in two games in Europe so far, the match against FC Porto showed that Barça still have a lot of work to do on the continental stages and Shakhtar have the ability to test Xavi’s men.

Three days later, Barcelona will play the biggest game of the La Liga calendar as they take on arch-rivals Real Madrid at home. Given how things are currently in the league table, there will be enormous pressure for Xavi & co. to bag a win against Carlo Ancelotti’s men.

A week later, on November 4, the La Liga champions will be in for another tricky test against Imanol Alguacil’s Real Sociedad outfit away from home. A trip to San Sebastian is never easy and will pose a challenge for Barça.

On November 7, the Catalans face Shakhtar Donetsk again in Europe in a game that could potentially seal their qualification to the knockout stages. Barcelona will round things off against Deportivo Alaves that weekend before the next international break arrives.

Injuries make things harder

As things stand, Barcelona have as many as six players dealing with some sort of injury or fitness issue.

Pedri is expected to be back after the international break while Raphinha and Lamine Yamal are also likely to be ready by the time Barça face Athletic Club or at least in time for El Clasico.

But Jules Kounde, Frenkie de Jong, and Robert Lewandowski are almost certain to miss the remaining three matches in October, making the upcoming run of fixtures even more challenging.