Barcelona face at least three awkward fixtures in La Liga run-in as title race tightens – Report | OneFootball

Barcelona may have built a four-point cushion at the top, but the road to the title is far from comfortable. With nine league games left, Hansi Flick’s side still have enough margin to absorb one setback but that is about all they can afford.

According to Mundo Deportivo, the first major obstacle comes immediately after the international break, with Barca away to Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano. Even with Atletico trailing in the table, that trip is never straightforward, and it arrives just four days before the two sides meet again at Camp Nou in the Champions League quarter-final first leg.

There is also an away trip to Getafe, one of the toughest remaining assignments, and the numbers explain why. Barcelona have not won there since 2019, with three 0-0 draws, one 1-1 and one narrow defeat since then.

Then there is the Clasico. Real Madrid still have the head-to-head advantage over Barca for now after the 2-1 result at the Santiago Bernabeu, which matters because that is the first tiebreaker if the teams finish level on points. That makes the home meeting with Madrid at Camp Nou even bigger than usual.

From a Barcelona point of view, those are clearly the three least favourable league fixtures left: Atletico away, Getafe away and Real Madrid at home. Each one carries a different kind of danger. Atletico bring intensity and edge, Getafe bring frustration and a horrible recent record, and Madrid bring the obvious pressure of a direct title rival.

None of these games are favourable on paper but if Barcelona want to win the title, they need to find a way to win these tricky games. That is the sign of a side that deserves to defend their La Liga title.

Let’s wait and see how things play out during the run-in and if Barcelona can emerge through this fixture run, unscathed.