For FC Barcelona, the upcoming match represents their final chance for redemption before the year ends. Next on the agenda for La Blaugrana is a match against Almeria at the Montjuic Stadium for their La Liga matchday 18 encounter. However, this season has witnessed not-so-positive signs from Xavi’s Barcelona thus far.
Match Details:
- Date: Wednesday, 20 December 2023
- Competition: La Liga EA SPORTS
- Matchday: 18
- Time: 15:00 CEST
- Venue: Montjuic Stadium
Match Preview:
Already under fire and consistently criticized, this current iteration of FC Barcelona is not exactly thriving. A 4-2 loss against Girona was followed up by another 3-2 defeat, the latter being a loss to Royal Antwerp in the UEFA Champions League. Then came their most recent expedition, which was a 1-1 draw against Valencia.
Slowly but surely, Barcelona are losing sight of the top spot in La Liga. As such, the Catalan giants can no longer afford to drop any unnecessary points. Yet, even their performances have been far from settling. FC Barcelona, once dominant in most matches, now appears to have lost the edge that defined their identity.
Across their previous five league games, Xavi’s men have managed to drop 7 points. With two wins, two draws, and a loss, Barcelona have only accumulated 8 points from a total of 15. Moreover, they have scored 7 goals across these 5 games while conceding 7 as well.
Their opponents, on the other hand, are having far from an ideal season as well. Almeria currently sit at the very bottom of the table in La Liga, at exactly 20th place. They are yet to win a single game in La Liga this season, despite already having played 17 league games in the 2023/24 season.
Over the course of their last 5 games, Almeria have managed two draws while losing the three other games. They did manage to hold Real Betis to a 0-0 draw, but that was about it when it comes to notable achievements for the side.
Moreover, they have scored just thrice across the previous five outings. On the other hand, they have conceded 7 goals across the same period, identical to FC Barcelona. In totality, they have 5 points to their name this season. On the other end, Barcelona are currently fourth in La Liga with 35 points accumulated in totality.