Barcelona face a challenging end to the year with a series of tricky fixtures | OneFootball

Barcelona face a decisive run before the year ends, with a schedule that offers no respite and will once again test the competitive strength of the team.

After the painful Champions League defeat to Chelsea, the squad must respond immediately in La Liga, where they are fighting for the top spot currently held by Real Madrid, only one point above them.

A demanding run awaits

After the demanding visit of Alaves this Saturday, Barcelona will kick off a string of high-difficulty La Liga fixtures as they take on Atletico Madrid, currently fourth, Real Betis, fifth, Osasuna, and Villarreal, third.

Atletico are always an uncomfortable and intense opponent, one that forces maximum effort in every match. Barcelona aim to show that what happened in Europe was an isolated stumble and not the sign of a structural problem in their game or their confidence.

Later, the team will travel to the Estadio de La Cartuja, the temporary home of a Real Betis side that have gone five matches without losing. Los Verdiblancos are solid and capable of competing on equal terms with any opponent, posing a strong challenge.

More challenges ahead. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

For Barcelona, controlling the ball and the tempo, and minimising defensive issues, the same ones that punished them against Chelsea, will be essential if they want to take something positive from one of the most complex away fixtures of the schedule.

In the final stretch of the year, after hosting Osasuna, Barcelona will face Villarreal away. The Yellow Submarine are struggling in Europe, but in La Liga, Marcelino’s team shows a mix of talent, speed and a very clear structure.

It will be another test that will require Barcelona to show personality away from home and a level of control that was missing in Europe at key moments.

In the middle of this demanding league run, the UEFA Champions League fixture against Eintracht Frankfurt also awaits. It will be at home on 9 December, a match with no margin for error for a Barcelona side that are 18th in the table and cannot afford more setbacks.

Barcelona now face several weeks that may shape their season. The blow vs Chelsea has sparked debate and doubts, but it also opens the door to an immediate reaction.