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Barcelona can’t afford slow start after international break

By Benjamin Barkworth

SEVILLE, SPAIN - MARCH 17: Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona celebrates scoring his team's opening goal with team mates during the La Liga match between Real Betis Balompie and FC Barcelona at Estadio Benito Villamarin on March 17, 2019 in Seville, Spain. (Photo by Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
SEVILLE, SPAIN - MARCH 17: Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona celebrates scoring his team's opening goal with team mates during the La Liga match between Real Betis Balompie and FC Barcelona at Estadio Benito Villamarin on March 17, 2019 in Seville, Spain. (Photo by Quality Sport Images/Getty Images) /
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The Catalans have a tough start to the last few months of the season as they return from the international break.

Barcelona went into the international break on a 13 game unbeaten run and six straight wins across all competitions. This included three Clasicos as well as two matches against Sevilla and the Champions League round of 16 ties with Lyon. Therefore, the break came at the wrong time because they were on a run of momentum going into the crucial latter stages of the season.

Espanyol are the first team up which is sure to be a tough, physical encounter due to the nature of the city rivalry. At the beginning of the season, it looked like Espanyol would be competing for a European place due to a strong start under new manager Rubi, but they have since slumped down the table and currently reside in 13th place. However, this will still be a challenging clash if Barcelona aren’t ready for the intensity or don’t move the ball around with a quick tempo to break down their organised defensive shape.

After that, they face a severely underperforming Villarreal side who finally appear to have found some semblance of form with three wins in their last five games. Barcelona have only won one of the last three matches at the Estadio de la Ceramica, so this is a challenging place for them to visit even if El Submarino Amarillo aren’t as strong as they have been in previous seasons.

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Players such as Santi Cazorla and Pablo Fornals are capable of providing problems if they are given space to work in. This is likely to be the match where Ernesto Valverde rests players, though, as Atletico Madrid and Manchester United are the two games straight after that. Beating Atletico is key as it would build an almost unassailable lead assuming they don’t drop points in the other games because they are already 10 points in front. However, it will be a clash that is sure to test them to their very limits even though it is at Camp Nou.

United is another pivotal clash as Barcelona will be aiming to get past the quarter-final stage for the first time in three years as they hunt for a sixth Champions League trophy and third European treble. The Red Devils were one of the easier teams to be drawn against, but they shouldn’t be underestimated as they were able to mount a two-goal comeback against PSG at the Parc des Princes and Roma were seen as an easy opponent last season.

Barcelona among a number of clubs chasing Ander Herrera’s signature. dark. Next

Barcelona have built up a formidable lead in the league, however, that can all go away if they don’t maintain their high levels. They will be desperate to end their poor recent spell in the Champions League knockout stages as well, so a convincing win against Espanyol is the best way to start this challenging run of matches by keeping confidence levels high. This Barca team has experience throughout it which means they are sure to be taking it one game at a time as they have a rare opportunity ahead of them.