Barcelona: September preview, trip to Anoeta the only challenging fixture

Barcelona have been graced with a relatively easy start to the season as a number of signings acclimatise to the team and Ernesto Valverde finds his ideal set-up.

Barcelona were unbeaten in August because they won their first two league games as well as the Spanish Super Cup one-off match against Sevilla. They managed to keep consecutive clean sheets as Alaves were comfortably beaten 3-0 at home and Valladolid challenged them all the way in a 1-0 win on a terrible quality pitch.

Last season, the Catalans started strongly and built up an unassailable lead in the league. The first half of the season saw them only drop six points in the league and their first loss in major competitions came against Espanyol in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals. Ernesto Valverde will be aiming to do the same this season because Valencia and Atletico Madrid have both started poorly while Real Madrid look dangerous, although they are yet to play a top team.

September sees them play five league games and a Champions League fixture. Compared to other months it isn’t that hectic, which is partially down to the fact that the La Liga teams don’t play Copa del Rey fixtures until October, but there are still two midweek fixtures.

Fixture list

02/09 – Huesca (H) 8-2 win

16/09 – Real Sociedad (A)

18/09 – PSV Eindhoven (H)

23/09 – Girona (H)

26/09 – Leganes (A)

30/09 – Athletic Bilbao (H)

Sociedad are the main challenge due to the good record they have against Barcelona at home. Last season was the first time in 11 years that the Catalans had beaten them at the Anoeta in the league. Bilbao could pose a few issues due to being under Eduardo Berizzo who claimed Barca’s scalp a number of times during his time at Celta Vigo, but his methods are much more effective on a smaller pitch unlike Camp Nou.

The Champions League starts in comfortable fashion because Barcelona have the easiest side in the group at home to start with. They have a couple of exciting talents such as Hirving Lozano and Steven Bergwijn, but they shouldn’t pose too many problems as a team and will be happy to come away with a draw.

Huesca, Girona and Leganes are all great examples of minnows pushing above their weight through intelligent management and excellent planning. They are teams in the very essence of the word because they rely on being strong collectively with clear game plans and high levels of organisation. It may take a while to break then down, but maximum points should be a certainty in thees games. Huesca did take the game to Barcelona with a brave approach, but they were eventually put to the sword in an 8-2 win.

Overall, this is a great way to start the season. Barcelona should be aiming for maximum points in this month as a statement of intent for their title defence and their aim to end Real Madrid dominance in the Champions League.