Barcelona face a pivotal three-game streak. They take on Valencia tomorrow evening at Camp Nou in La Liga before a must-win fixture against Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League. Then, they welcome Real Madrid to Catalonia for the first Clasico of the season and the first in front of fans in almost two years.
Camp Nou will have no limit on attendance for the run, but it’s not yet known how many fans will actually turn up for each game; Barcelona are in dire form.
They sit ninth in La Liga – five points behind Madrid – and rockbottom of their Champions League group without a single point to their name.
Ronald Koeman is under intense pressure, although he has been given a stay of execution by Joan Laporta partly because the club’s financial situation means they lack the funds to part ways with him or bring in an adequate replacement.
“We expect a tough game,” Koeman said in his pre-match press conference before the Valencia date in comments carried by Marca. “[Jose] Bordalas teams and their systems are competitive.
“We have to improve things in defence, and we’re playing at home. We’ll carry the weight of the game and we must win because it’s a very important match.” Valencia are level on points with Barcelona but a place ahead of them in the table.
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