Messi's Argentina farewell headlines Barcelona's three-week international break
The international break has arrived, and for Barcelona supporters it means three weeks without club football. But with the vast majority of Hansi Flick's squad heading off on duty with their countries, there is still plenty to keep culers occupied until La Liga resumes in mid-October.
From a record Spanish contingent to a managerial heavyweight clash steeped in Cruyffian heritage, and from a nerve-wracking trip Down Under to football's most anticipated farewell since the game itself was invented, here is what Barcelona fans should be watching.
Spain's Barca seven headline the England showdown
The best place to start is England against Spain on matchday one of the Nations League, a fixture with genuine history attached. The Three Lions and La Roja will meet for the 29th time in all competitions, and for the first time since Spain beat Tuchel's England in the 2024 European Championship final.
England have already seen significant withdrawals from their squad, and they could find life tough against a Spain side that includes no fewer than seven Barcelona players: Eric Garcia, Pau Cubarsi, Rodri, Pedri, Fermin Lopez, Dani Olmo and Lamine Yamal. That septet represents the largest contingent from any single club in the Spanish squad, and much of the pre-match intrigue centres on how Luis de la Fuente selects his starting line-up and who gets significant minutes.
Xavi vs Klopp: the pupil takes on the master
Elsewhere in the Nations League, the Netherlands against Germany brings the football romantics their headline tie of the window: Xavi Hernandez against Jurgen Klopp, the former universally cast as the pupil, the latter as the master.
Xavi has certainly said all the right things about the way he sees his Netherlands side playing, and much of that talk revolves around the shared Cruyffian principles that link his approach to Barcelona's DNA. For one of the club's greatest-ever midfielders, however, the concern is not merely his lack of experience at international level, but whether he possesses the tactical nous to fix things when they begin to go wrong. Against an operator as astute as Klopp, there is genuine fear for the Dutch, particularly if Xavi opts for a gung-ho, attack-heavy performance that leaves the backline horribly exposed.
Fingers crossed for Raphinha in Australia
Outside of Europe, Barcelona fans will be crossing their fingers and praying that Raphinha returns unscathed from international duty. The Brazilian has become so important for Barcelona that, in an ideal world, he would be wrapped in cotton wool for the duration of this break.
Brazil play two friendlies in Australia, which should not require the Selecao to exert themselves unduly; however, the sheer length of the trip and the associated fatigue could well cause problems. The last thing Barcelona need is for Raphinha to pick up another niggling injury that rules him out for any length of time.
A farewell for the ages in Buenos Aires
Then there is the small matter of Lionel Messi's farewell appearance for Argentina, where the guarantee of a dry eye in the house is close to zero. A player beyond compare, Messi was at one stage persona non grata with Argentine supporters, until he led his country to ultimate glory in Qatar.
Still setting records at 39 years of age, Messi and his countrymen face Benin on October 6 at the Estadio Monumental. Any fan of La Albiceleste, and of Messi more generally, will surely tune in live. In many respects, the result and the performance will be secondary to the send-off that La Pulga is expected to receive in Buenos Aires.