"Barça will be third in the table at kickoff, equal on points with fourth-place Atlético Madrid and eight points off the top, and need a win to try and stay as close as possible to their biggest rivals early in the title race. The season is long and there will be another chance to directly take points from Real Madrid, so the Catalans have to keep doing their job and hope the leaders drop unexpected points along the way until they meet again."
"The injuries continue to plague Hansi Flick's side as Pedri could miss the rest of 2025 with a hamstring injury and Raphinha will be out for a few more weeks, but Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo are back in the squad for this one and Joan Garcia will reclaim his spot in goal sooner rather than later. The squad will get healthier over the next month, so there's a chance Barça can start to build some momentum after a depressing October."
Barcelona sit third on 22 points and host newly promoted Elche, who are eighth with 14 points, on Sunday at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in Montjuïc. A painful Clasico defeat to Real Madrid leaves Barcelona needing a win to stay close to title rivals while hoping for dropped points from leaders. Injuries have hampered the squad: Pedri could miss the rest of 2025 with a hamstring injury, Raphinha will be out for weeks, Andreas Christensen is out and Pau Cubarsí is doubtful. Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo return to the squad, Joan Garcia is expected to reclaim the goalkeeping spot, and fitness should improve over the next month.
Read at Barca Blaugranes
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]