Barcelona and Actual Madrid face two polar challenges on matchday 21 of La Liga, and the week may thus be huge by way of the title race.
Actual Madrid tackle Villarreal on the Estadio de la Ceramica in a sport that sees the league’s second and third-placed groups face off. Not less than one among them, thus, is assured to drop factors.
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Barcelona, in the meantime, the division’s lowest-placed workforce in Actual Oviedo and can look to farm the three factors towards a workforce that has appeared largely helpless this season.
In any case, Guillermo Almada’s facet have been winless of their final 14 video games throughout all competitions and final took three factors in a sport again in September.
Barça Common brings you three speaking factors forward of Barcelona vs Actual Oviedo.
The ‘no Pedri’ disaster
Barcelona suffered a damning blow to their marketing campaign when star midfielder Pedri Gonzalez left the sector injured towards Slavia Prague midweek within the Czech Republic.
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The Canary Islander was not having fun with an awesome efficiency on the night time, however his harm comes as an enormous blow to Hansi Flick’s plans, given how he’s a central a part of the workforce’s on-field dominance.
Pedri’s harm can be an enormous blow for Barcelona. (Photograph by Angel Martinez/Getty Photographs)
Pedri has been recognized with a hamstring subject and can be out for a month at the very least, and tomorrow the workforce begins that daunting month with their greatest sport controller unavailable. Evidently, the strain is on Flick to discover a approach out.
The supervisor has a number of choices to rely on, however it is going to be fascinating to see which mixture he sees as the perfect match to make up for Pedri’s absence.
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Frenkie de Jong is an assured starter in midfield towards Actual Oviedo, and one among Fermin Lopez and Dani Olmo will occupy the attacking midfield place as traditional.
The second inside midfield place, nevertheless, is the massive doubt and Flick can select from Eric Garcia, Marc Bernal, or Marc Casado to fill that place. Deploying Olmo in that position is an alternative choice.
Defensive points loom giant
Joan Garcia’s superhuman shows painted a rosy image of Barcelona’s defence in direction of the top of final month, however the membership have gone right into a full-blown defensive disaster to this point in January.
Whereas the Spanish Tremendous Cup in itself noticed Barcelona current opposition with quite a few openings, Actual Sociedad exploited Barcelona’s leaky defence final weekend to take the win towards the Catalans.
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Even the sport midweek, furthermore, noticed the workforce concede from two set-pieces within the first-half, elevating critical questions on Barcelona’s defence and whether or not the division is slowly opening up extra simply than earlier than.
As Barcelona prepares to tackle Actual Oviedo, Hansi Flick and Co. will thus have it as a sure goal to enhance their defensive document.
For starters, Flick’s choice within the division will play an enormous position. Pau Cubarsi is predicted to begin, and it stays to be seen if Gerard Martin, Ronald Araujo, or Eric Garcia companion with him by the center.
Additional, there may be huge strain on Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde, each of whom have been underwhelming in latest video games, to enhance their output not solely offensively however by way of defence.
Kounde should enhance his type. (Photograph by Eric Alonso/Getty Photographs)
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Time to up the ante
Barcelona head into the conflict towards Actual Oviedo as overwhelming favourites, particularly provided that they’re the league leaders and the guests are the bottom positioned workforce within the division.
Whereas the dressing room won’t take the consequence without any consideration, they are going to again themselves to take all three factors on the night time. But, the target tomorrow should go far past the mere win.
Barcelona have an enormous activity forward of them subsequent week as they play host to FC Copenhagen within the ultimate matchday of the UEFA Champions League’s league section. Battling for a top-8 end, they need to win with an enormous objective distinction to make it.
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There’s a actual want for the Catalans to go on an all-out, ruthless assault towards Copenhagen subsequent week. They do have one among Europe’s most potent assaults this season, however they haven’t been as ruthless and medical as they have been final season.
In tomorrow’s sport towards Actual Oviedo, Barcelona should thus look to make use of it as a apply sport to win by an enormous margin, for profitable with a thumping scoreline will give them confidence to repeat it midweek.
Quite the opposite, struggling towards Actual Oviedo tomorrow may put the workforce’s morale down earlier than the all-important ultimate league sport of the UCL.