Barcelona equal Real Madrid's La Liga record with ninth straight win and can break it in the Clásico
Barcelona have equalled Real Madrid's record for the best start to a La Liga season, moving to nine consecutive victories with a 5-2 win over Real Betis in Seville on Saturday 17 October.
MARCA report that Hansi Flick's side can now move clear of the mark, and the opportunity arrives in the most loaded fixture on the calendar: the Clásico against Real Madrid itself.
Barcelona draw level with Real Madrid's 1968-69 start
The nine straight wins match Real Madrid's opening run from the 1968-69 campaign. That sequence was overseen by Miguel Muñoz, and it ended when Los Blancos were held to a 0-0 draw by Pontevedra on matchday 10.
The 5-2 result at La Cartuja brought the Catalans to nine; the historical comparison is the Madrid side's nine wins before its draw with Pontevedra. The run has grown match by match, including a comeback victory over Sevilla earlier in the campaign.
The record is in reach before the Clásico
Barcelona's next league opponent is Real Madrid, with the Clásico scheduled for Sunday 25 October at Spotify Camp Nou. That gives Flick's side a direct opportunity to pass the record against the very club whose 1968-69 start set it.
The meeting also arrives with the sides' rivalry and the league campaign in view. According to MARCA's report, the upcoming Clásico will be a key fixture in the La Liga title fight.
PSG visit comes before Real Madrid
Before the Clásico, Barcelona are scheduled to visit Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday 20 October. MARCA describe PSG as the current European champions, making the trip an immediate test between Barcelona's record-equalling league result and the chance to extend the run.
Barcelona have also won both of their Champions League matches so far, against Feyenoord and Galatasaray. Those European results add to the season's strong opening, but the nine-win benchmark concerns league matches only.
Real Madrid follow at Spotify Camp Nou on Sunday 25 October. Barcelona can make the record their own with a victory, while a draw or defeat would leave the nine-win mark level with Muñoz's side.
Prior benchmark in sight
The record-equalling run follows another milestone in the same stretch. As reported on 11 October, Barcelona's 3-0 win over Getafe included 787 accurate passes — the most by any team in a single Spanish top-flight fixture over the previous five seasons, eclipsing the 768-pass mark Real Madrid set against Getafe in May 2023.