International footballers return from competing with their national teams, some on crutches like Gavi, and club competitions return. FC Barcelona, which came into the break with its tongue hanging out and its instruction manual forgotten, has a month to correct its course with an advantage: it has nothing lost. In the League they are third placed, four points behind Girona and two behind Real Madrid; In the Champions League, they lead their group with the same points as Porto (9), both pursued by Shakhtar. In both competitions there are curves. In total, seven games before the Christmas break that will serve to examine the real chances of success for Xavi's group.
Rayo-FC Barcelona
November 25
Stay in the leading group, climb some position if possible and, above all, don't give up. These are the wishes of the Blaugrana team in the League before the end of 2023. The usual way to improve its score is, in the case of Barça, through an increase in its performance. An improved football that transmits good vibes to the demanding palates of Barcelona. In recent games, the image has not been ideal, neither winning (Anoeta) nor losing (Hamburg, Shakhtar), so the most important thing for Barcelona fans is to recover a recognizable pattern of play that, if possible, entertains.
Vallecas does not seem like the best setting to begin the metamorphosis. Rayo, coached by Francisco, is tenth in the table and has six draws, proof that it is a team that is difficult to defeat. A defeat in Vallecas precipitated the dismissal of Ronald Koeman as coach two seasons ago. Gavi's loss, a very hard blow for Xavi, coincides with the discharge of Frenkie de Jong. A consolation.
FC Barcelona-Oporto
November 28
Barça's path in the Champions League, with a more peaceful group stage than in the last two editions, seemed on track before the defeat at Shakhtar. That match exposed Barça, incapable of creating play and scoring opportunities and poorly organized to defend. At the Do Dragão stadium, Xavi's group was able to win (0-1), but that was not a very different match from the one lost against the Ukrainians. Barcelona needs to win against the Portuguese to qualify for the round of 16 and also do so as first in the group. If they tie or lose, they will have to wait for a draw or Shakhtar's defeat against Royal Antwerp to secure access to the round of 16. In the event that the Ukrainian team beats the Belgian, a triple tie on points could occur on the last day of group H.
FC Barcelona-Atlético
December 3
Without a doubt, this will be one of the games that can serve as a thermometer to measure Barça's recovery or stagnation in the League. After a limping start in the championship, Simeone's team is taking off and playing unusually attractive football driven by his striker pair, Morata and Griezmann, both more inspired than ever. The Colchonero team occupies fourth position, two points behind Barça with a match still pending against Sevilla. We are facing an open League, led by Girona by surprise and with Madrid and Barça, conditioned by injuries, less reliable than in other seasons.
FC Barcelona-Girona
December 10
Speaking of Girona, the third consecutive match that Barça will play in Montjuïc, a key stage in this pre-Christmas phase, will have Míchel's Girona as its opponent. The leader of the competition, compared to Leicester as a miracle team, combines efficiency and good play like no other team, possibly only Real Sociedad comes close in the League. A great opportunity to watch a delicious football match, a rare commodity on Montjuïc mountain.
FC Barcelona-Royal Antwerp
December 13th
Precisely against Royal Antwerp (5-0 in the first leg) we saw the best Barça, the one that was hopeful at the beginning of the season and corresponded to Xavi's desire to climb the echelon of the game, the purpose of the course repeatedly verbalized by the Blaugrana coach. It remains to be seen how his team gets to that fight, whether qualified for the round of 16 or still with the ticket pending.
Valencia-FC Barcelona
December 16
The trip to Mestalla was very complicated for Barça on the penultimate day before the winter holidays. Valencia, managed from the box in a terrible way, is determined to resurrect itself on the pitch with an effort guided by Baraja on the bench and a phenomenal fifth of young people. Valencia is ninth in the table, and the atmosphere in the stands will be the same as always, very hot.
FC Barcelona-Almería
December 20th
The last game of the year will apparently be the easiest. Almería is the last classified and does not raise its head. They have lost their last five games. The culé objective, that theory and practice converge.
