The international break certainly hasn’t been kind to Barca, and with Hector Bellerin adding his name to the injury list on Tuesday, Xavi’s squad are dropping like flies.
Though it could still be said to be too early to be a prophet of doom, a few poor results across the next few weeks could put a real dent in Barca’s aspirations this season.
Despite not being at their best, Real Madrid are still, annoyingly, grinding out results. They’ll not lose too many this season, so three points against the eternal rival is almost a must.
Another performance at the Bernabeu like last season’s would be just the ticket, even if that seems a bit of a pipe dream at present.