Three home games in a row

After draw against Rayo, Barça can now look forward to playing in front of their own fans for three games in a row at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, two in La Liga and one in the Champions League. And all three are extremely juicy match-ups.

Barça v Porto: Tuesday 28 November (9pm CET)

The first is the second-to-last game of the Champions League group stage. Barça were sailing through Group H, but the 1-0 defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk has complicated things somewhat. Things are still very much in the Catalans' favour, but they really need to get a positive result out of this one. And it won't be easy, for although Barça won 1-0 at the Estádio do Dragão, the Portuguese side put up a very strong fight indeed.

Barça v Atlético Madrid: Sunday 3 December (9pm CET)

Straight after that comes what is always an attractive fixture as Atlético Madrid come to town. Diego Simeone has got his side off to an excellent start in La Liga and they are very much part of the leading pack of four teams, especially when we remember that they still have a game in hand.

Barça v Girona: Sunday 10 December (9pm CET)

The week after that comes the Catalan derby, and this year's edition promises to be an absolute humdinger. Girona are very much the surprise package in La Liga. After an incredible start, one would have normally expected them to gradually drop off, but it hasn't happened. Girona just can't stop winning and are doing it with some beautiful football. As each week goes by, they are beginning to look more and more like being candidates not just for a Champions League place but maybe even the title.

The last three-in-a-row at home

This is not the first time this season that Barça have played three consecutive games at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, and the last time it happened, things worked out very nicely indeed. They hammered Betis 5-0, then saw off Antwerp by the same score in the Champions League before coming from 2-0 down to secure a dramatic 3-2 victory against Celta.