La Liga is back: Barca going for five in five

A rocky road lies ahead. After a calm start to the season things kick up a gear with seven games in 23 days, including five league matches. Seven games to start to find out where this team is exactly. The Champions League is back too, and as Messi said, the squad need to get that thorn out of their side. That starts on Tuesday against PSV at Camp Nou.

First of all is Saturday's trip to Anoeta. A stadium that brings a warning. An opponent who has provoked more than one 'storm' at Barca in the past. A game which will also serve to see if Valverde will rotate or not. "It's possible there will be a change," said Valverde Friday.

Valverde is not going all out for the UCL at the expense of La Liga. The club's history backs that. Barca live through the KO rounds worse than Madrid. They don't feel comfortable staking it all on one horse. It's not part of their way. Whenever they have won the European Cup they have also won La Liga.

New signings Vidal, Arthur, Malcom and Lenglet have had a slow start but Dembele and Coutinho are being brought in heavily. However the new faces will get more time given the slew of fixtures.

After Real Sociedad and PSV comes Girona at home (23/09), Leganes away (26/09) and the visit of Athletic to Camp Nou (29/09). Trickier are the next matches, Tottenham and Valencia away.