Xavi Hernandez facing enormous task over the next five weeks

Barcelona were naturally frustrated with their defeat to Real Madrid on Saturday, but there was a general acceptance that there were positives to be taken too. However Xavi Hernandez will have to turn those positives into results over the next month, as they face a gauntlet of fixtures.

The Blaugrana are tasked with trying to make up ground on leaders Girona and Real Madrid, with a four-point gap in place currently. Yet Xavi will have to manage that during a gauntlet run in November and early December, in what will be a serious test of his management.

A trip to in-form Real Sociedad beckons on Saturday night, as the Blaugrana visit one of the toughest places to go. The Blaugrana then travel to Hamburg to face Shakhtar Donetsk, before hosting Alaves.

Barcelona's next 7 fixtures:

Real Sociedad (A)
Shakhtar Donetsk (A)
Alaves (H)
Rayo Vallecano (A)
Porto (H)
Atletico Madrid (H)
Girona (H) pic.twitter.com/4r7wJKbfLr

— Football España (@footballespana_) November 1, 2023

An international break then interrupts matters, where Xavi will be desperate to avoid injuries. When they return, Barcelona will go to Rayo Vallecano, where they have not won in four matches, losing their last clash. Porto then visit the Blaugrana, when they will hope to wrap up qualification from their Champions League group and potentially first place too, before Atletico Madrid and Girona, two of the three teams above them, visit Montjuic in successive weeks.

The one positive for Barcelona should hopefully be the injuries. Jules Kounde, Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Pedri are all hoping to be fully fit by the weekend, while Frenkie de Jong is thought to be close to a return too. That should at least allow Xavi to rotate and bring strength off the bench, having lacked the ability to do so in recent weeks.