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Decisive month ahead for Valverde and Barcelona

  /  autty

Once this international break comes to a close, Ernesto Valverde and his Barcelona side will have to guide themselves through one of their most difficult spells of the season, with a series of big games ahead.

There are eight matches in total before the winter break, which include fixtures against Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid in LaLiga Santander, as well as Champions League games against Borussia Dortmund and Inter.

Barcelona are top of LaLiga Santander and are currently leading their Champions League group, but their latest results have caused some to start worrying at the Camp Nou.

In LaLiga Santander, the Catalans are level on points with Real Madrid but are ahead thanks to a superior goal difference record, having returned to winning ways against Celta Vigo at the weekend after falling away at Levante the weekend before.

That loss at Levante ended a five-match win streak for Barcelona, which had caused them to rise up the table after a difficult start to the season in which they picked up two losses and a draw from their opening three games.

Turning attention to the Champions League, Barcelona drew 0-0 at home to Slavia Prague in matchday four and, as such, there is a sense that the Blaugrana must now win their remaining two matches, first at home to Dortmund and then away at Inter if they are to comfortably reach the last 16.

After the international break, Barcelona will return to action against Leganes at Butarque on Saturday, November 23, a stadium where they were lost last season.

For the Leganes match, Valverde will be unable to call upon Sergi Roberto (suspended), Nelson Semedo and possibly Jordi Alba, while there could be further absentees while players are away on international duty.

Four days later, Barcelona will host Dortmund at the Camp Nou, a game where they could seal their passage to the knockout rounds of the Champions League.

If they are to pick up all three points against the Germans, Barcelona would finish top in the group and then the match against Inter would have little significance, whilst also relieving the pressure on Barcelona's pre-winter break calendar.

Not winning, however, and Inter beating Slavia, would make the clash in Milan in matchday six crucial to their chances of advancing.

After the Dortmund game will be a trip to Madrid to take on Atletico Madrid at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano, a stadium where Barcelona are yet to win in their two games there, at least when facing Los Rojiblancos. The Catalans played the 2018 Copa del Rey final against Sevilla there and won 5-0.

Then Barcelona will not have a game in midweek after visiting the Wanda, with Real Mallorca being the next on the agenda at the Camp Nou, three days before the potentially vital match against Inter.

Barcelona have historically struggled when they have had to go to Anoeta, and they will have to do so five days after the Inter clash.

In Barcelona's penultimate match before the winter break, Real Madrid will come to Catalonia in one of the most eagerly anticipated Clasicos in a while.

And to close 2019, Barcelona will play Alaves at the Camp Nou, four days after the Clasico.

This period in Barcelona's calendar will not only be decisive in determining their future moving forward, but also Valverde's future.

The goal is clearly to reach the last 16 of the Champions League and to create a lead at the top of the LaLiga Santander table, but this will be a very difficult period for the Blaugrana.