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Do Barcelona have the treble in the bag already?

By Chiranjib Ghosh

SAN SEBASTIAN, SPAIN - JANUARY 14: coach Ernesto Valverde of FC Barcelona during the La Liga Santander match between Real Sociedad v FC Barcelona at the Estadio Anoeta on January 14, 2018 in San Sebastian Spain (Photo by Laurens Lindhout/Soccrates/Getty Images)
SAN SEBASTIAN, SPAIN - JANUARY 14: coach Ernesto Valverde of FC Barcelona during the La Liga Santander match between Real Sociedad v FC Barcelona at the Estadio Anoeta on January 14, 2018 in San Sebastian Spain (Photo by Laurens Lindhout/Soccrates/Getty Images) /
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Barcelona are looking unbeatable at the moment, and everything is in favour of Ernesto Valverde’s men

Ernesto Valverde is looking all set to continue set by Johan Cruyff. Till now, all Barcelona managers who have played for the club at some point in their career have won the treble. The Dutch great was the first such player, and he was followed by two of his pupils, Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique.

While Cruyff won the treble in his third season at the Camp Nou, Enrique and Guardiola achieved the milestone in their very first season, and Valverde is taking after his teammates. In all three competitions Barça are competing for, the Blaugrana are the undisputed favourites.

In the La Liga, 9 points separate Barcelona from Atlético Madrid at the top of the table. And Barça’s most historically fierce competitor, Real Madrid are 19 points from the top. With 16 games left to go, the league title is Barça’s to lose.

As for the Copa del Rey, Barcelona have the upper hand going into the second leg, even though the lead is just of a single goal, and not an away goal.But regardless, the team has enough quality to scrape through to the final. And Sevilla are not having the best of seasons, and will not be tough competition for the likes of Lionel Messi and Philippe Coutinho.

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Hence, a domestic double is almost guaranteed at the end of the season, if the team does not undergo a major slump or is hampered with injury problems. The real problem lies in winning the UEFA Champions League.

Barça have been drawn against Chelsea in the Round of 16. They would be formidable opponents if they had been on form. They are on a terrible streak, having lost their last three games, conceding 9 goals. Antonio Conte is on the verge of getting the sack, and there could not be a better time than now for Barcelona to take on the Blues.

The other draws also might eliminate some potential competitors, including the PSG-Real Madrid tie and the Juventus-Tottenham match-up. But some candidates are sure to go through, like Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Manchester United.

But Barcelona have the momentum and the bench strength to push through to the end. The Road to Kiev is clear for Barça. Valverde needs to forget that Philippe Coutinho is not available in the Champions League and make full use of Andrés Iniesta and Ousmane Dembélé.

Next: Ousmane Dembélé nears return to the first-team squad

It is highly likely that Barcelona will bring home all three major trophies come the end of the season.