Author: Soorya G
La Liga leaders Barcelona will have the opportunity to confirm their league win on Tuesday, and the chance to open up a 15-point lead at the top of the Spanish top flight. Barcelona will face mid-table Girona at the Camp Nou in a fixture that Xavi Hernandez hopes will see his side come out on top.
Barcelona are trying to put their disappointment in the Copa Del Rey behind them, having been knocked out at the semi-final stage by Real Madrid, who managed to recover from a 0-1 deficit in the first leg.
Xavi, who is currently dealing with some injuries in his camp, was forced to field a team that wasn’t his strongest and they ended up losing 4-0 at home to the Champions League’s biggest winners. However, the reigning champions suffered a defeat on Saturday to former Barcelona coach Quique Setien’s Villareal, who managed to surprise the madridistas 3-2 at the Santiago Bernabéu. Samuel Chukuwueze was absolutely brilliant, scoring two goals to give his team a crucial win and, more importantly, a realistic chance of making the top four.
Barcelona had hoped to maintain their lead against Madrid, but Vinicius Jr.’s performance spoiled their plans. But after dominating most of the first half of the second leg, they surprisingly lost their composure and ended up losing 4-1. After the first 45 minutes, a furious counter-attack from Vinicius Junior gave Real the lead. Real Madrid would eventually take control of the game in impressive fashion after equalizing the score, when Karim Benzema’s excellent finish after an assist from Luka Modric hit the back of the net as the Nou Camp suffered in silence.
However, the Catalans will have their chance to deal the mortal blow to their arch-rivals, as a win against Girona will put them in a comfortable position to win the league title. Xavi’s side have some interesting games coming up in what promises to be the last stage of their winning run, as they face Atlético de Madrid, Real Betis and Real Sociedad in their final league fixtures. Although none of these teams can be ruled out, Barcelona will be hoping to end the season quite comfortably if they can pick up three points against Girona.
“We want to be champions and tomorrow will be another step forward. That would give us a very important margin. It’s going to be a tough game, Míchel is working very well, it certainly won’t be easy. We’ve turned the page after the cup defeat and we’re focused on La Liga. When we were eliminated from the Champions League we made a pact to win this championship” Xavi said ahead of his team’s match against Girona.
Team news
Barcelona are dealing with a number of injury problems and are expected to field an unchanged starting line-up for the Copa Del Rey clash. Meanwhile, Michel’s Girona are coming off a thrilling win over Espanyol and will have a full-strength line-up against the table leaders.
Expected line-up:
Barcelona
: Ter Stegen; Koundé, Araujo, Alonso, Balde; Kessie, Busquets, Gavi; Raphinha, Fati, Lewandowski;
Girona
: Gazzaniga; Martinez, Bueno, Lopez, Hernandez; Romeu; Tsigankov, Martin, Garcia, Villa; Castellanos;
Key players
La Liga’s top scorer, Robert Lewandowski, will be the most intimidating player on the pitch. The Polish striker was very impressive in his first year at Barça, scoring 27 goals for the club in all competitions. The center forward is always a weapon for his team.
Viktor Tsigankov will be an extremely important figure for Michel’s team, as the Ukrainian has become an invaluable asset to the team. He only joined in January and has already scored three goals and provided three assists in just eight games. He could cause some problems for the leaders on Tuesday.
Forecasts
Barcelona to win (with a reasonable goal difference).
The Catalans will be the favorites in the match and have all the potential to cause a lopsided scoreline.
Lewandowski to score
The robust striker is on course for this season’s top scorer award and could extend his three-goal lead at the top of the charts.
Tsigankov to impress
The Ukrainian has been spectacular since moving to Spain and could be his team’s best player at the Camp Nou.