La Blaugrana will host Los Celestes in the 8th round of La Liga on Sunday night at Camp Nou. Keeping all three points at Camp Nou is the bare minimum to maintain their spot at the top of the League table.
Match Details:
Date: Sunday, 9th October
Competition: La Liga
Matchday: 08
Venue: Camp Nou
Time: 09:00 pm Central European Time ( Barcelona )
Match Overview:
Coming off a disappointing loss against Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League, Fc Barcelona would very much like to return to winning ways and retain the top spot in the Spanish First Division. They now face Celta Vigo, placed 11th in the league table, at the Spotify Camp Nou.
Celta Vigo have so far played 7 games as well, but have been quite disorienting in terms of their results. 3 wins, 1 draw, and 3 losses have put them right outside the top 10, having a total of 10 points out of a possible 21.
On the contrary, Barcelona have fared much better in their domestic league, so far having managed to collect 19 out of a possible 21 points, putting them on top of the La Liga table, ahead of rivals Real Madrid on the basis of Goal Difference.
Moreover, the team from Vigo currently have a negative Goal Difference themselves, having scored 9 goals in total so far in the league whilst conceding 13 goals in the same competition. In comparison, the team from Catalonia has so far scored 19 goals and conceded only 1, both statistics being the absolute best in the league.
However, Celta have managed to pick up a sort of positive form recently, with all three of their wins having come in the last 5 games, with their most recent outing having been against a formidable Real Betis team, in which Celta managed to come out as 1-0 victors from despite not being favorites. A key player to look out for will be Iago Aspas, being his team’s top scorer with 5 goals as of now.
Aiming for a win, it would be wise not to underestimate this Celta Vigo team, and Barcelona will potentially field their strongest available eleven to help them overcome yet another hurdle in their quest for La Liga. A notable stat to remember though is that Barcelona have only managed to come away with 4 wins out of their last 10 encounters with Celta Vigo in La Liga, so the Catalan team will definitely need to stay on their toes against this tricky opponent.
Potential Line-up:
Goalkeeper: Ter Stegen
As always, Ter Stegen will be between the sticks for La Blaugrana. He had a decent outing against Inter individually, as there was little that he could have done to prevent the goal that his team conceded.
Centre-Back: Gerard Pique
With injuries ruling out almost the entirety of Barcelona’s first-choice defenders, and Christensen having been recently added to that list, all signs point to Gerard Pique taking the spot next to Eric Garcia for the upcoming matches.
Centre-Back: Eric Garcia
Having been solid in the games that he has played for the Catalan outfit this season, Garcia will be charged with the responsibility of standing his ground and being dependable enough to both defend and progress the ball diligently throughout the 90 minutes.
Left-Back: Balde
Given Alonso’s lackluster performance against Inter Milan, and the dynamic impact Balde
managed to have in the few minutes that he was given, it would be a surprise not to see the latter take the field this time around at that left-back spot.
Right-Back: Sergi Roberto
Without any other viable options being available, there is a strong chance of Sergi Roberto
retaining his position at right-back regardless of his dull display against Inter.
CDM: Sergio Busquets
Busquets will be tasked with both the captaincy and responsibility to stabilize Barcelona’s
midfield and keep control of the game’s tempo and pacing to assure La Blaugrana’s dominance.
CM: Pedri
Arguably Barcelona’s best player against Inter, Pedri will be hoping his form continues and his teammates regain their normal high standards and will be up to the task against this upcoming opponent.
CM: Gavi
On a personal level, Gavi will surely be infuriated at the gesture made by Alessandro Bastoni and will have much to prove as he looks to get his team back to winning ways, en route to that potentially fateful game against Inter at the Camp Nou next week.
Right-Winger: Raphinha
Having made the clinical mistake of deploying Raphinha at Left Wing in the previous game and in turn rendering him almost helplessly nullified against Inter, Xavi will possibly return the winger to his favored side and expect a completely different game from the Brazilian.
Left-Winger: Ansu Fati
Dembele’s horrid display in the Champions League could potentially see him start this game on the bench, in turn possibly allowing Ansu Fati to take his stead, who will be hoping to impress not just Xavi but Luis Enrique as well in hopes of making the World Cup team.
Centre Farward: Lewandowski
Barely given any service in the previous game, Lewandowski will hope to continue his elite
scoring form for Barcelona in the league, attempting to add even more goals to his already
an impressive tally of 9 goals.
Fc Barcelona vs Celta Vigo: Expected Line-up
Formation: 4-3-3
Goalkeeper: Ter Stegen
Defenders: Roberto, Pique, Eric, Balde
Midfielders: Pedri, Busquets, Gavi
Forwards: Raphinha, Lewandowski, Ansu Fati
