10 key days for League and European hopes

Over the next 10 days Barça will play three games that are key to success this season: the two Champions League semi finals and Saturday’s La Liga clash with Real Madrid.

The two matches against Chelsea stand between Barça and another Champions League Final, whilst the Madrid game will define their chances in La Liga.

Josep Guardiola has always repeated the same message to players and fans alike: “our objective is to get to April with our chances still intact in all the competitions”. Once again this season that objective has been met, with the Spanish Cup, Champions League and La Liga all in sight. The next ten days will be key to their success on both the domestic and European fronts.

First up this week is the trip to London for Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg. The team will fly to England on Monday and not be back at the Camp Nou until Thursday, as they attempt to revive the memories of their success at Stamford Bridge in the 2009 semi-final.

There’ll be little time to reflect on Wednesday’s game, as preparations will start for Saturday’s visit of Real Madrid as soon as the team get back to Catalonia. A win for Guardiola’s men would leave them just a point behind Madrid – piling the pressure onto Mourinho’s team, whilst a draw or a Madrid win would really make it tough for Barça to retain their title. This will be a truly decisive classico.

Just three days after the Madrid game, it’s Chelsea who are the visitors to the Camp Nou for the second leg of the semi-final and a game that will decide who goes through to the final in Munich in May. Barça have a great challenge ahead of them – to become the first team to retain the Champions League. Just as with the Madrid game, home advantage against Chelsea could prove key.

Over the next few days, Barça’s challenge for the League and Champions League could stumble, or the team could once again stride on towards the May final in Munich and a thrilling close to the domestic league.

Only one day off from training

The squad will be playing three games in 10 days and also have a full schedule of training, with only this Wednesday without a session, match day at Stamford Bridge, where they will train on Tuesday evening. (via FCBarcelona.com)