Barcelona: La Liga leaders heading into World Cup

You have to go back to the 2013-14 season to find better numbers than Xavi’s Barcelona side in 2022-23. In that campaign, with Tata Martino at the helm, Barcelona had 40 points from a possible 42, with 13 wins and just one draw after 14 games, according to AS.

Xavi has hit some impressive numbers at the start of this La Liga campaign, having reached 37 points, with twelve wins, one draw and one defeat after the same number of games.

The Blaugrana have scored 33 goals and have only conceded five so far. Striker Robert Lewandowski, sent off against Osasuna on Tuesday, is La Liga’s top scorer with 13 goals, and Ter Stegen has been the league’s in-form goalkeeper, going 10 games without conceding a goal.

Barca are now five points clear of Carlo Ancelotti’s side, although Real Madrid still have the game against Cádiz on Thursday to close the gap to two points at the top of the table.

Whatever happens at the Bernabéu on Thursday, Barcelona will go into the World Cup break as league leaders.

It hasn’t been as successful in Europe for the Camp Nou outfit, where they were once again eliminated in the group stage of the Champions League and will play in the Europa League, with a two-legged play-off against Manchester United scheduled for next February.

GSFN | Kieran Quaile

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