Nine from nine at La Cartuja

Barça never trailed at La Cartuja, were level for only 14 minutes and scored five. All of that is true, and it leaves out how narrow the margin was when the match changed. When Betis's Facundo Bernal was sent off in the 54th minute, Barça led 3–2, and the other two goals came against ten men.

Before that, Betis had found their way through twice, once from a corner in the 27th minute and once on the counter. The counter came two minutes after Barça went 3–1 up. Barça's first two-goal lead of the match lasted two minutes. Betis's Giovani Lo Celso also had a long-range goal ruled out after a VAR review for a handball earlier in the move, which would have made it 2–2 just before the break.

None of this is a crisis. A side that scores five can afford to concede two. The trouble is who comes next. Neither Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday nor Real Madrid on Sunday 25 October can be counted on to lose a player by the 54th minute, and Betis scored both of their goals before anyone was sent off. Barça should plan for eleven against eleven, twice in five days.

Galatasaray led for 15 minutes after a goal that came against the run of play. Their goal in the 28th minute came from a cutback on the left that went in off João Cancelo, and a second, from a corner, was ruled out for offside only after a VAR review. Cancelo levelled two minutes before the break. Hansi Flick said afterwards that Barça lost control while behind and made poor decisions in the final third.

Lamine Yamal had been quiet before the break. He then crossed for Fermín López to head in after 50 minutes, then worked the ball free in the box for Anthony Gordon to score 186 seconds later. It was Gordon's first Champions League goal for the club. Karim Adeyemi added the fourth off the bench. That was a fine 45 minutes from one player, and it rescued a match that Barça's first 45 had put in danger.

Barça have come from behind to win 20 times since Flick took charge in 2024. Three of this season's eleven wins have come that way.

Eric García has a muscle injury in his right thigh and will be out for three to four weeks, which rules him out of Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday and the Clásico on Sunday 25 October. Jules Koundé has a left ankle sprain, misses Paris and is a doubt for the Clásico. Andreas Christensen has been out with a thigh injury since the win at Sevilla in September. That leaves Barça short at the back for the biggest week of the autumn.

The cover in the travelling squad at Betis included Pau Cubarsí and three full-backs. Gerard Martín, who plays on the left of central defence, came off at half-time after a knock, and García replaced him and scored Barça's fourth before going off late on. Gabriel Jesus also went off injured in the 79th minute.

Raphinha's return is the counterweight. He played the last 20 minutes on a return from the thigh injury recorded in issue eight, and Frenkie de Jong was named in a matchday squad for the first time this season and did not play. Hansi Flick said on Friday that De Jong had trained little at centre-back but gave him another option.

Whether Barça can cope in Paris is the wrong question, because they have no choice. The question is who plays where, and Flick's answer will show how far he trusts De Jong in defence.

Real Sociedad ended the Femení's perfect start in Liga F at Estadio Izan, their ground in Zubieta. Barça played without Clàudia Pina, their top scorer with nine league goals. Vicky López was also injured. They still lead the table on 18 points from seven matches, two ahead of Real Madrid on 16.

Barça scored after 55 seconds, Real Sociedad levelled on the counter in the 13th minute and Ainhoa Marín, a winger, scored the winner in first-half stoppage time. With ten minutes left the referee gave Barça a penalty, then overturned it after a video review. Real Sociedad also won 1–0 at the same ground last season, the Femení's only league defeat then.

Issue eight gave Wednesday 11 November as the date of Arsenal's visit to Camp Nou. The match is now on Thursday 12 November at 18:45 Barcelona time because of a general strike planned for the Wednesday. Arsenal agreed to the change, and tickets bought for the original date remain valid.

Tyler, The Creator is the ninth artist to take over the front of Barça's shirt under the club's deal with Spotify. This time Spotify has given the American rapper full creative control, and the campaign includes a short film, a clothing collection and a music night in Barcelona on 24 October. Joan Soler, the club's vice-president for the commercial area, described the takeover as a way to reach audiences around the world.

The Clásico needs no help getting attention. The Femení wear the shirt first, on Saturday 24 October against Granada at Estadi Johan Cruyff, Barça Atlètic's home ground in Sant Joan Despí. That is the same day as the music night, and a routine league match gets the first look at a shirt that will be photographed all weekend. The collection is on sale in GOLF stores in Los Angeles, New York, Tokyo, Sydney and London as well as in Barça's own shops.

The club will sell 1,899 limited match-quality shirts, a number taken from its founding year. A further 22 will carry the signatures of the players in the Clásico and the Liga F match, and 11 will be signed by Tyler. The Femení are in the plan from the start.