Barcelona will aim to return back to winning ways when they host Elche on Saturday afternoon.
The defeat in Munich was a wake up call for the Catalans, as they slumped to a 2-0 defeat despite going toe to toe with the Germans for most of the game. They were surprisingly blunt in attack, and Xavi will hope things change for the better as they return back to Laliga action.
The visitors are in a bit of a pickle themselves, sitting 19th in the table with a solitary point to their name. They were battered by Ernesto Valverde's Athletic Club last weekend, and have conceded 13 goals while scoring 2 so far, but Francisco will hope to get his team's engine running as soon as possible.
INTERESTING STATS
- Barcelona have an impressive record against Elche and have won 26 out of the 46 matches played between the two teams, as opposed to Elche's eight victories.
- Barcelona are unbeaten in their last 19 matches against Elche in La Liga, with their previous league defeat against the away side coming in 1974.
- Barcelona are unbeaten in their last 23 matches against Elche at home in La Liga, their best home record against a single opponent in the top flight.
- Elche are winless in their last five matches in La Liga and have lost their last three games in the competition - their longest losing steak since 2014.
- Barcelona have kept clean sheets in their last three La Liga matches - they have not kept four consecutive league matches in the competition since 2020.
- Barcelona have secured 13 points in their first five La Liga matches this season - their best start to the campaign since the 2018-19 season
Last five meetings
06/03/22 (LIGA) Elche 1 FC Barcelona 2 (Torres, Memphis)
18/12/21 (LIGA) FC Barcelona 3 (Jutglà, Gavi, Nico) Elche 2
24/02/21 (LIGA) FC Barcelona 3 Elche 0 (Messi 2, Alba)
24/01/21 (LIGA) Elche 0 FC Barcelona 2 (De Jong, Puig)
19/09/20 (GAMPER) FC Barcelona 1 (Griezmann) Elche 0
TEAM NEWS
Barcelona
Sergi Roberto has picked up an Achilles injury and has been ruled out of this clash.
Every other player is available for Xavi. Bellerin, Balde, DeJong, Kessie and Garcia are all pushing for starting spots and alterations are expected. Ferran Torres and Ansu Fati are also considered to potentially be in the starting lineup. Robert Lewandowski will want to get over his profligacy in front of goal as exhibited in Munich as soon as possible.
Elche
Los Franjiverdes will be without Gonzalo Verdou and Gerard Gumbau through groin and hamstring injuries respectively.
Omar Mascarell is also a doubt.
Barcelona player Alex Collado is sure to relish taking on his former club, while Ezequiel Ponce and Fidel are also tipped to start.
Where are Barcelona vs Elche playing?
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Stadium: Spotify Camp Nou
Date: Saturday 17 September
Kick-off Time: 15:15 BST / 10:15 EST / 07:15 PST
VAR: González Gonzàlez
Referee: Alejandro Muniz
CONCLUSION
Elche were close to causing an upset the last time they visited Camp Nou, but it's hard to see them doing so this time around. Barcelona will want to bounce back from their European disappointment in a big way, and they'll aim to make it 5 comfortable la Liga wins in a row.
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