Read more from Author Melissa Galbraith here: https://globelivemedia.com/author/melissa-galbraith/

Ronald Koeman has reason to be more than satisfied at the start of 2021. And it is that his pupils are overcoming with note a situation that a priori was seen as a death trap: playing eight consecutive games outside the Camp Nou. So far, he has already played seven, with a balance of five wins, one draw and one loss. The only blur was in the final of the Spanish Super Cup against Athletic (2-3), where the first title of the season escaped him, after being traced up to two times, the last in the last minute.

But if we stick to LaLiga, the streak of consecutive games won is already five games. After a hesitant start to the season, with defeats against Getafe (1-0), Atlético (1-0) and Cádiz (2-1), the team began to find itself after a solid and resounding victory in Pucela ( 0-3) on December 22. From here, away victories against Huesca (0-1), Athletic (2-3), Granada (0-2) and Elche (0-2).

To see the last time that Barcelona has been on track for five wins outside the Camp Nou in the League, we must go back to the 2015/16 campaign, with Luis Enrique at the helm. On that occasion, the victims were: Málaga (1-2), Levante (0-2), Sporting (1-3), Las Palmas (1-2), Rayo (1-5) and Eibar (0-4) . In fact, in the end there were six victories achieved away from home, so Koeman’s men will have to wait for the game against Betis at Benito Villamarín to see if they are capable of matching these figures.

The streak of Luis Enrique’s team away from home also had the added ‘plus’ that was achieved with the pressure of the crowded stands, while now the fact of playing without an audience, undoubtedly favors the visiting teams.

Likewise, the team already has four consecutive victories in LaLiga -Huesca, Athletic, Granada and Elche-, so if it defeats Athletic on Sunday at the Camp Nou it would equal the five victories that Valverde achieved last year, between September and October 2019: Villarreal (2-1), Getafe (0-2), Sevilla (4-0), Eibar (0-3) and Valladolid (5-1).

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