Without a shadow of a doubt, Barcelona are – and have been for the best part of a decade – one of the strongest club sides in European football. In recent years, the Spanish outfit have won the Champions League on a regular basis whilst competing with arch-rivals Real Madrid for the La Liga crown.
But how would Barcelona fare if they were competing in England’s top flight? Based on their record against Premier League clubs in the European Cup, they would be fine. Since the start of the 2005/06 campaign, Barcelona have played 27 games against English opposition.
With 14 wins, seven draws and just six defeats in those encounters, the La Liga side have already shown that they can go toe-to-toe with the best teams in the business. Perhaps only Chelsea can genuinely claim that they have performed well in fixtures against the Spanish giants.
You could argue that Barca would come unstuck in certain fixtures; an evening fixture away at Stoke City on a Tuesday night in December, for example. Climate-wise, playing in England is completely different to Spain and over the course of an entire 38-game season, Ernesto Valverde’s men could potentially be found out.
There’s no denying that Barcelona are one of the strongest sides in Europe but competing in the Premier League is so much harder than La Liga. An away trip to Burnley poses a greater threat to one of England’s elite clubs than a visit to Granada does to the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Barcelona have been in fantastic form as of late and if they could emulate their recent run in England’s top flight, they would certainly be in the title race. Valverde’s men have won their last six games, scoring 21 goals in the process whilst conceding just twice.
Incredibly, both Manchester clubs – United and City – have also enjoyed similar success so far this season. City, managed by former Barca boss Pep Guardiola, are unbeaten after seven games having scored 22 goals. Meanwhile, Jose Mourinho’s United are tied for points but sit just one goal back with 21 strikes.
After missing out on the La Liga title last season, Barcelona will be desperate to regain their title as Spanish champions. At the time of writing, Barcelona betting odds with Paddy Power show Valverde’s side at 4/7 to win the crown this campaign.
???? 7 weeks of La Liga
✌️ 7 wins
⚽️ 23 goals scored
???? 2 conceded
???? Leaders by 5 points
???????? pic.twitter.com/sk3x51Vjai— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 2, 2017
Real Madrid have struggled to get going and Barca’s fast start could make all the difference come next May. If Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez continue to flourish, the Catalan giants could pull away from the likes of Real and Atletico Madrid at the top of the table.
You’d have to fancy Barcelona to finish in the top four on a yearly basis but winning the title in England is a much tougher task than in Spain. In the Premier League, there are six viable contenders for the crown whilst in Spain, there are three at the most.
It would certainly be an interesting experiment and one that English supporters would relish. After all, the chance for the likes of Middlesbrough, West Ham and Southampton to face Barcelona is relatively slim otherwise.
