Barcelona will be looking to bounce back after the shocking home defeat against Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey semifinals, last week. It will be interesting to see how the Clasico defeat affects Barcelona’s La Liga campaign.
Table of contents
Match Report – El Clasico ( FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid – Copa Del Rey Semi Finals, 2nd Leg)
Overview
Barcelona currently leads La Liga by 12 points over second-placed Real Madrid. Tonight, they will try to get all three points and go 15 points clear. Further, it is fair to say that Xavi’s men have almost written their name on the league title, with only a massive collapse at this late stage stopping them from clinching it.
While Barcelona leads La Liga, Girona FC, fellow Catalan club, is in 11th place, seven points clear of the relegation zone. They advanced to the Spanish top flight via the Segunda Division playoffs last season and anything higher than 18th will be considered as a successful campaign for them.
- Barcelona have won seven of the previous nine Catalan derbies against Girona, while Blanquivermells have only won one.
- Barcelona have scored 22 goals against Girona and has a goal difference of 15.
- Pedri who scored the winner in the reverse fixture will be missed out of tonight’s clash
- Barcelona are unbeaten at home in 2022/23 while Girona have only two away wins under their belt.
Match Squad
Credit: https://twitter.com/fcbexclusive/status/1645040386199486465
Barcelona will be without Pedri, De Jong, Dembele, and Christiensen once more due to injuries, while Xavi has made no changes to the squad that faced Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey Semifinals.
As for Girona, their key midfielder Aleix García has returned. However, Borja Garcia, Joel Roca, Alexander Callens, Yangel Herrera and Ibrahima Kebe are absent upon injuries, whereas Reinier is suspended.
Predicted Lineup
Defense
In Christiensen’s absence, Alonso is likely to stay in the back line, with Alba expected to replace Balde at left-back. Kounde will start at right back, with Araujo moving back to center back.
Midfield
Gavi is will drop back to the midfield to allocate Fati to play as the left winger, while Roberto is expected to continue with Busquets.
Attack
Fati will receive another opportunity to prove his worth while Lewandowski and Raphinha are expected to continue their roles.
Drop your predictions for tonight’s scorecard in the comments
