Celta, Brest and Las Palmas to end November
Sunday brought disappointment at FC Barcelona, with just the second defeat of the Liga season, 1-0 away to Real Sociedad. After a loss, teams are always eager to get back onto the field as quickly as possible to start setting the record straight. But Hansi Flick and his players won't be able to do that this time because there are no further fixtures until after the international break.
But in the last week of November, there are three games in the space of just seven days where hopefully we'll get to see the team back at their best.
November 23: Celta v Barça
This Saturday kick-off is already confirmed as a 9pm CET start. There's been a mixed bag of results in Vigo in recent years, with the last three games ending in one win, one draw and one defeat. Indeed, Barça have typically found Balaídos a tough ground to visit, but they'll need to win to make sure that they stay at least six points clear of chasers Real Madrid.
Celta are smack, bang in the middle of the table right now, having generally picked up points against the lower ranked teams but struggling against the bigger names. And they don't come much bigger than a Barça team that may not have scored in San Sebastian, but has celebrated an impressive 55 goals in 17 competitive outings so far this season.
November 26: Barça v Brest
Three days later comes a Champions League date at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, which like all Barça's group stage games falls in the usual 9pm CET slot. It's the first ever game against French outfit Brest, the surprise package of the UCL so far, ranked an impressive sixth in the League Phase table with three wins and a draw.
November 30: Barça v Las Palmas
The month ends with an early start, 2pm CET back at Montjuic, this time in the league against Las Palmas. The Canary Islanders have spent most of the season stuck at the bottom of the table, but there has been a change of course since Diego Martínez took over as manager, with two wins in his first three games.
And in December...
The final month of the year begins with the challenge of three consecutive away trips. On Tuesday 3, as confirmed this very Monday, Barça will be playing Mallorca at 7pm CET, a team that's started 2024/25 in strong fashion. And the Saturday immediately after, the 7th of December, there's a 4.45pm kick-off at the Benito Villamarín, home of Real Betis.
That will be followed on Wednesday 11 at 9pm CET by the last Champions League game of the season, away to last year's beaten finalists, Borussia Dortmund.