Why October will be the true test of Barcelona’s squad depth

As things stand, Barcelona could go into the international break as the leaders of La Liga, following their 3-0 victory over Elche on Saturday.

Reigning champions Real Madrid have a chance to reclaim the top spot but face a huge challenge later today as they play Atletico Madrid away from home. Dropped points at the Civitas Metropolitano would mean Barça hold on to the numero uno position.

Teams will return to action on October 1 after the two-week international break, with Barcelona resuming their La Liga campaign against RCD Mallorca.

And from that point on, the Blaugrana will face a stern test of their form and squad depth as a hellacious run of fixtures awaits Xavi Hernandez and his men.

Indeed, the month of October will present Barça with a challenging run that could have a major say in how their campaign could pan out.

The Catalan giants have nine matches to play across all competitions during the month of October, starting from the contest against Mallorca.

Things will only get harder from there as they next face Inter Milan away in the UEFA Champions League, desperately needing a victory after their loss to Bayern Munich earlier this week. They will then host a tricky Celta Vigo in La Liga before facing the Nerazzurri at home.

Four days after that crucial clash, Barcelona will play the biggest game of the La Liga calendar as they take on arch-rivals Real Madrid in the El Clasico on October 16 at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Two more tricky fixtures await the Blaugrana soon after as they face Villarreal and Athletic Club, both at Camp Nou before they welcome Bayern Munich in their penultimate Group C game of the Champions League.

Barcelona will end the month of October with a trip to the Mestalla where they will face Gennaro Gattuso’s Valencia side.

Given the run of important fixtures, the onus will be on Xavi to make the best use of the immense depth in his squad and get his rotations spot on so that he does not end up overburdening any of his players.

The manager had insisted that he wanted two players for every position in the team and has been provided with just that following a brilliant summer window. How he makes the most of the roster at his disposal in October could have a major say in where Barcelona end up this season.