League leaders Barcelona are all set to host Girona as they look to return to winning ways after losing to Real Madrid in Copa del Rey.
11th-placed Girona are all set to hit the road to square up against league leaders Barcelona, who will eager to bounce back after a 4-0 hammering at the hands of Real Madrid in the Cope del Rey semi-final second leg. Xavi’s men had a forgettable outing in their last fixture but will be eager to continue their dominating run in the league.
Barcelona are in a strong position to win La Liga this season, sitting 11 points clear of Real Madrid at the top. With only a few games left to play, the Catalan side is expected to clinch the title soon. The Catalan giants have been sensational in the league with four wins out of their last five matches. They are on a four-match winning run and will look to make it five in a row.
Despite the recent disappointment in the Copa del Rey, losing to bitter rivals Real Madrid in the semi-finals, Barcelona have been dominant at home this season. They have picked up 35 points from 13 matches, scoring 27 goals and conceding just twice.
For Barcelona, winning La Liga is essential to salvage their season, as they have been knocked out of both the Champions League and Europa League. With a strong home record, they will be looking to bounce back from their recent defeat and secure three points against the visitors
Girona secured promotion back to La Liga through last season’s playoffs and have had a solid campaign so far, currently sitting in 11th place in the table. As far as their last five league matches are concerned, they have won two, drawn one and lost twice.
With only a few games left to play, Girona are seven points clear of the relegation zone, and they will be looking to finish the season strongly and secure a higher position in the table. They are heading into this fixture on the back of a 2-1 win over Espanyol.
However, Girona have struggled on their travels this season, winning only twice in La Liga away from home. They will face a tough challenge against a dominant Barcelona side, but they will be hoping to cause an upset and secure a positive result.
The visitors lost the reverse fixture 1-0 and will be eager to avenge that loss. However, it won’t be an easy task coming up against one of the biggest teams in the world. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at this fixture and tries to predict the tactics that could be in use.
Team News & Tactics
Barcelona
Xavi Hernandez will be without the services of Ousmane Dembele, Pedri, Andreas Christensen and Frenkie de Jong in this home fixture. Apart from them, he has all other players available.
🚨 The squad for #BarçaGirona! pic.twitter.com/Bc8rU22r47
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 9, 2023
The Spanish manager will go ahead with the 4-3-3 formation. He is not expected to make major changes from the team that lost against Real Madrid. However, we might see Ansu Fati start this time around.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen will be in goal. Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde will once again start as the full-backs. Ronald Araujo, who had a rare poor outing last time around, will pair up with Marcos Alonso in the centre of the defence in the absence of Christensen.
Sergio Busquets will be the holding midfielder, while Franck Kessie and Gavi will be there to help him out as central midfielders. Gavi, who started at left wing, will drop make to the midfield to make room for Fati. Raphinha and Ansu Fati are expected to start out wide on the flanks. Meanwhile, former Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski will lead the front line.
Possible Lineup (4-3-3): ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Alonso, Balde; Kessie, Busquets, Gavi; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Fati
Girona
The visitors will be without the services of Borja Garcia, Joel Roca, Alexander Callens, Yangel Herrera and Ibrahima Kebe, who are all out injured.
🗣️ Oriol Romeu:
❝Serà un partit especial. A qualsevol jugador sempre li emociona jugar al Camp Nou, un dels millors escenaris. És un orgull i és molt bonic també pel meu passat allà.❞#BarçaGirona
➕ Entrevista sencera ➡️ https://t.co/uuAHucPTO3 pic.twitter.com/KkBbbGrLp0— Girona FC (@GironaFC) April 8, 2023
Meanwhile, they do have a boost as Aleix Garcia, linked with Barcelona in recent weeks, has returned to training and is expected to start against the Catalan giants.
Míchel is expected to start with the 4-1-4-1 formation, where Paulo Gazzaniga will be in goal. Arnau Martinez and Javi Hernandez will be the full-backs for this away fixture. Meanwhile, Santiago Bueno and David Lopez will be the centre-back pairing.
Oriol Romeu will be the defensive midfielder in the centre of the park. In front of him will be the pair of Aleix Garcia and Ivan Martin, who try to dictate the pace of the game. Meanwhile, Viktor Tsygankov and Toni Villa will be the out wide in the midfield. Valentin Castellanos will be leading the attack for the visitors.
Probable Lineup (4-1-4-1): Gazzaniga; Martinez, Bueno, Lopez, Hernandez; Romeu; Tsigankov, Martin, Garcia, Villa; Castellanos
Key Stats
- Barcelona have the best defence in the league, having conceded just nine goals so far.
- Girona have only won two away matches in La Liga this season.
- Barcelona are the second-highest-scoring team in the league, having found the back of the net on 53 occasions in their 27 matches.
- The visitors have lost their last two league fixtures against Barcelona.
- Barcelona are on a four-match winning run in the league and will look to make it five in a row against Girona.
Player to Watch
Robert Lewandowski
Real Madrid managed to keep Lewandowski quiet in his previous outing. But, given the kind of form he is in, the former Bayern Munich talisman is expected to be back amongst the goals.
The 34-year-old striker has 34 goal contributions in his 35 outings this season. And, he is leading the La Liga top scorer’s list with 17 goals in his 23 outings. The Poland international will look to add to his tally and extend his lead as the league’s top scorer.
Prediction
Barcelona 2-0 Girona
Barcelona had a forgettable outing last time around when they squared up against Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey semi-final second leg. But, they do have enough in their tank to bounce back and will look to make a big statement with a win against Girona.
However, the visitors, who are heading into this fixture on the back of a 2-1 win, will be confident of getting a positive result against the home team. But, the difference in the quality of both the squads suggests that Barcelona might come out on top. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-0 win for Xavi’s men.
