LA LIGA PREVIEW: BARCELONA VS REAL BETIS

The aim is to return to winning ways for Xavi's men. Can they do it against Real Betis?

It was another memorable trip to Vallecas for Barcelona, but once again, for the wrong reasons. Fortunately, the slip up did no damage to their standings in the table and will look to get their groove back as they take on Real Betis for the 3rd time this season, having overcome them in the Spanish Supercup Semi final and at the Benito Villamarin in La Liga. It's the last game of the month, and what better way to end it than with a convincing winning performance?

Real Betis will not roll over and play dead though. Having won only 1 of their last 5 games, they currently sit at 6th, behind Villareal and La Real. The least objective Manuel Pellegrini could achieve at this stage is European football. They won at the Camp Nou last season. Can they do it again?

INTERESTING STATS

- Barcelona have won seven of their last eight games against Real Betis in La Liga (L1). Their only defeat in this run came in their most recent home game against them in the competition (0-1 in December 2021).

- Barcelona will head into this game off the back of losing 1-2 to Rayo Vallecano in La Liga. They have not lost two in a row since October 2021. 

- At home, they are one of three teams to have not suffered a defeat this season across the big five European leagues, alongside Union Berlin and Bayern Munich (W12 D3).

- Real Betis have won just one of their last five La Liga matches (D1 L3), 3-1 against Espanyol on 15 April, having won four of their previous six in the competition (D2).

- Real Betis have failed to score in three of their last five La Liga matches (W1 D1 L3), having found the back of the net in nine of their previous 11 league games (W6 D2 L3).

- Manuel Pellegrini has lost 12 of his last 13 games against Barcelona in La Liga (W1), having lost just four of his previous ten against them in the top flight (W4 D2).

TEAM NEWS

Barcelona

Massive boost for Xavi! Ousmane Dembele and Andreas Christensen have returned! Only Sergi Roberto remains as the first team player on the treatment table with a hamstring issue. For the first time in a while, Xavi has a fuily fit squad.

Christensen is likely to start right away, alongside Koundé, Araujo and Balde in defense, shielding Marc Andre TerStegen. Sergio Busquets returns from suspension and will slot right into the Midfield alongside Pedri and Frenkie. Gavi could play the false winger, as he's done many times, while Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha round up the attack. Dembele is expected to contribute at some point.

REAL BETIS

Manuel Pellegrini has 4 key players out: Nabil Fekir, Youssouf Sabaly, Juanmi and Victor Ruiz.  That doesn't take much away from the quality he has left at his disposal.

Rui Silva will be between the sticks. Luiz Felipe and German Pezzella will form the central defensive partnership, with Aitor Ruibal and Juan Miranda being the two full-backs. Guido Rodriguez and William Carvalho will be the doublt pivot. Sergio Canales will play centrally and be flanked by Luiz Enrique and Ayoze Perez, with Borja Iglesias looking to head the attack instead of Willian Jose.

Where and when are Barcelona vs Real Betis playing?

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Stadium: Camp Nou

Date: Saturday 29 April

Kick-off Time: 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT

Referee: Carlos del Cerro Grande

VAR: Santiago Jaime Latre

Real Betis will not be taken for granted, mainly due to the fact that Barcelona lost their last game and won't want to disappoint their fans on home turf. A convincing performance will come in handy as they look to keep the gap at the top to at least 11 points.

LA LIGA PREVIEW: RAYO VALLECANO VS BARCELONA

Los Blancos faced their bogey team yesterday; it's time for the Blaugrana to face theirs.

The league leaders are back in action as they travel midweek to Vallecas in a bid to move closer to the La Liga title. Xavi's men were able to get back to winning ways this past weekend with another 1-0 win (their 10th in La Liga and 17th in all competitions this season) against Atlético Madrid, which, according to many, was their most difficult fixture left. This time, the match winner came from the boots of Ferran Torres. That victory, coupled with Real Madrid's loss to Girona yesterday, should serve as a confidence booster as they prepare to do battle with a team they've failed to beat since early 2021 in the Copa del Rey and 2019 in La Liga.

Rayo Vallecano, who finished 12th last season after gaining promotion to the top flight, are well on course to do better this season as they currently sit at 10th, 7 points behind 6th placed Villarreal. Their best finish however, remains 8th (12/13). They started the season well, with their opener against Barcelona ending goalless. 2023 however, has seen them take a bit of a slump, winning one of their last 10 games. Their head-to-head against Barcelona in recent times will give them confidence, but it's going to be much difficult to get a result against the vibrant Catalans this time around. One thing that's for sure though, is that they'll try till the final whistle.

INTERESTING STATS

- Barcelona have the best defence in the league, having conceded only nine goals so far.

- As far as the attack is concerned, Barcelona have the second-best attack, having scored 54 goals.

- Rayo Vallecano have an interesting record this season; they have won ten, lost ten and drawn ten out of their 30 matches.

- Barcelona have a good recent record against Rayo Vallecano and have won 15 out of the last 24 matches played between the two teams, as opposed to Rayo Vallecano's four victories.

- Rayo Vallecano are unbeaten in their last three matches against Barcelona in La Liga and have kept clean sheets in each of these matches.

- Rayo Vallecano have won only one of their last five matches played on a Wednesday in La Liga but did secure a victory in such a game against Barcelona in October 2021

- Barcelona have only lost twice in the league all season long.

- Robert Lewandowski has scored 17 goals and has six assists for Barcelona in the league.

Last five meetings

2019 (Liga) Barça 3-1 Rayo

2021 (CDR) Rayo 1-2  Barça

2021 (Liga) Rayo 1-0  Barça 

2022 (Liga) Barça 0-1 Rayo

2022 (Liga) Barça 0-0 Rayo

TEAM NEWS

Rayo Vallecano 

Barcelona will be glad that Radamel Falcao, who has netted against the Catalans 4 times in 6 previous meetings, will be unavailable due to a muscle injury. Santi Comensaña is also ruled out due to suspension. Alvaro Garcia and Alejandro Catena however, have served theirs and will return to the starting XI.

Stole Dimitrievski will be in goal. Ivan Balliu and Fran Garcia will be the full-backs. Florian Lejeune will pair up with Alejandro Catena in the heart of the defence. Pathe Ciss will join Oscar Valentin to form the double pivot behind the trio of Isi Palazon, Oscar Trejo and Alvaro Garcia, while Sergio Camello will likely be picked ahead of Raul DeTomas as the striker.

Barcelona

The Blaugrana remain without Dembele, Christensen and Roberto due to injuries, although the former two should be returning against Real Betis over the weekend. Sergio Busquets will not travel to Madrid with the squad due to accumulation of yellow cards.

TerStegen will be in goal, with Koundé, Araujo, Alonso and Balde as the defense. Pedri and Frenkie DeJong were sorely missed, as eveidenced by their glorious return against Atlético Madrid and are expected to walk right into the midfield, alongside Gavi and probably Franck Kessie, even though Eric Garcia could be an option. Should Xavi decide to go with a 4-3-3 rather than a 4-4-2, Raphinha and Lewandowski will anchor the attack alongside one of Ferran Torres/Ansu Fati.

Where and when are Rayo Vallecano vs Barcelona playing?

Location: Madrid, Spain

Stadium: Estadio de Vallecas

Date: Wednesday 26 April

Kick-off Time: 21:00 BST / 16:00 ET / 13:00 PT.

Referee: Jesús Gil Manzano

VAR: José Luis González González

Rayo Vallecano are known to be fearless at all times and will always fancy their chances of a victory, no matter the opposition. Their recent form may not be encouraging, but they can't be taken lightly. Barcelona will know that, and with the league title in sight, along with personal pride, the Catalans will be desperate to win this one.

LA LIGA PREVIEW: BARCELONA VS ATLETICO MADRID

A heavyweight clash at home to prove title winning credentials.

Probably for the first time this season, the most in-form team heading into a La Liga clash at the Camp Nou isn't the home team. Barcelona have endured some trying times as of late, failing to win (or score in) their last 3 games in all competitions. Their last two league outings ended in a goalless stalemate, and the performances were a bit wishy-washy. Thankfully, some key players have returned from injury, which may be the reason Barcelona could win this clash.

Their opponents, Atleti, haven't lost a league game since the last time these two met, at the Wanda, where Barça won 0-1. They've won their last 6 games in seemingly comfortable fashion, and they suddenly look like they could take advantage of any slip up Real Madrid might have for second position. They will fancy their chances at the Camp Nou, especially if Antoine Griezmann, arguably the most in-form player in La Liga right now, has anything to say about it.

INTERESTING STATS

- Barcelona have a historical advantage over Atletico Madrid with 97 victories in 222 matches played, compared to Atletico’s 75 wins.

- Barcelona’s home record against Atletico Madrid is impressive having been unbeaten in their last 16 games in the league.

- The Catalan giants have drawn their last two La Liga matches 0-0, and they have not played three consecutive goalless draws in the competition since 2016.

- Atletico Madrid are in excellent form, winning their last six matches in La Liga.

Last five meetings

21/11/20 (LIGA) Atlético 1 Barça 0

8/5/21 (LIGA) Barça 0 Atlético 0

2/10/21 (LIGA) Atlético 2 Barça 0

06/02/22 (LIGA) Barça 4 Atlético 2

08/01/23 (LIGA) Atlético 0-1 Barça 

TEAM NEWS

Barcelona

There has been some good news in the Barça camp as of late, as Pedri and Frenkie DeJong have returned from injury and have made the Squad list. Ousmane Dembele and Andreas Christensen are also very close and should feature against Vallecano and/or Betis. Sergi Roberto remains sidelined with a hamstring strain. 15 year old wonderkid Lamine Yamal also earned his first team call up. Wouldn't it be exciting to see him have some minutes in this game?

Marc Andre TerStegen, Kounde, Araujo and Balde are sure of starting, with Alonso probably filling in for Christensen. Pedri and Frenkie could very well walk into the starting XI and join Gavi and Busquets in midfield. Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha will form the attack, along with Pedri/Gavi overlapping forward. Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres remain attacking options on the bench.

Atletico Madrid

Diego Simeone will be without the services of former Barça man Memphis Depay, who is out injured, and Reinildo, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the season. Midfielders Marcos Llorente and Geoffrey Kondogbia are out due to suspension. Meanwhile, they could have a boost as Stefan Savic is expected to return to the mix.

Jan Oblak will start in goal. The back three will feature Savic, Jose Maria Gimenez, and Mario Hermoso. Nahuel Molina and Yannick Carrasco will feature in the midfield five, along with Koke, Rodrigo De Paul and Pablo Barrios. Antoine Griezmann and one of Ángel Correa or Alvaro Morata will lead the attack.

Where are Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid playing?

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Stadium: Camp Nou

Date: Sunday 23 April

Kick-off Time: 15:15 BST / 10:15 ET / 07:15 PT/ 15:15 🇳🇬

Referee: Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez

A gigantic clash that should provide loads of entertainment, but Barcelona will have to bring their A game for this one. Atletico Madrid are in red hot form, any slip ups from the home side could prove catastrophic.

LA LIGA PREVIEW: GETAFE VS BARCELONA

Barcelona travel to the Coliseum in Madrid to recoup 3 points and restore the lead to 13. 

Barça are currently on shaky grounds in terms of form and should be edging to return to winning ways as they make the journey to the ever dreaded Coliseum Alfonso Perez. 

Following the disappointing exit from the Copa del Rey, they played out a goalless draw at the Camp Nou against Catalan rivals Girona. With Real Madrid snatching up 3 points last night against Cadiz, and a home game against the vibrant Atleti up next, today's game is perfectly positioned to mark a return to form ahead of a very crucial run to the title.

Their opponents are as dogged as they come. Getafe are currently embroiled in the relegation battle, as they often are, but they have recently picked up form at home with 3 home wins on a spin coming into this one. They've always been difficult opponents for Barcelona, and with their own goals to fight for, they will be going all out for the 3 points.

INTERESTING STATS

-Barcelona have kept a clean sheet in seven of their last nine La Liga matches.

-Barcelona won seven of their last nine La Liga meetings with Getafe.

-Barcelona have failed to win and score in their last two visits to Getafe in La Liga (D1 L1).

-Getafe boasts three wins from their last three home games and is unbeaten in four.

-The hosts have avoided a defeat in seven of their last nine encounters.

TEAM NEWS

Getafe

Key central midfielder Mauro Arambarri has missed Getafe’s last five games with a muscle injury, and Sunday’s game would come too soon for him while forward Jaime Mata remains in the recovery room. Otherwise, coach Quique Sanchez Flores has no other problems.

Djene Ortega, Domingos Duarte, and Omar Alderete will sit in front of goalkeeper David Soria, with the wing-back duo of Damian Suarez and Cristian Portu completing the back five.

Nemanja Maksimovic and Luis Milla will look to screen the back-five to form a compact, counter-attacking shape. Their attack should consist of Enes Unal, Munir El-Haddadi, and Borja Mayoral.

Barcelona

The Catalans remain without Pedri, Frenkie, Christensen and Dembele, even though Xavi confirmed that most of them are ready to make a return.

Few changes will be expected from the lineup against Girona. Marc Andre TerStegen continues in goal, Araujo, Kounde, Eric and Balde should complete the defense.

 Roberto wasn't convincing in midfield against Girona and could be replaced by Kessie, even though the ivorian is a card away from potentially missing the game against Atleti. Busquets and Gavi complete the Midfield, while Torres may come in for Fati and join Raphinha and Lewandowski in attack.

Where are Getafe vs Barcelona playing?

Location: Madrid, Spain

Stadium: Coliseum Alfonso Perez

Date: Sunday 16 April

Kick-off Time: 15:15 BST / 10:15 ET / 08:25 PT, 15:15 🇳🇬

Referee: Juan Luis Pulido Santana

While Barcelona are favored to win here, Getafe can't be taken for granted. Both teams will be desperate for the win in order to achieve their varied goals, so it will come down to quality on the pitch, who takes the most chances and makes the least mistakes. 

LA LIGA PREVIEW: BARCELONA VS GIRONA

A feisty derby at the Spotify Camp Nou could provide Barcelona three more points, if they're willing to take it.

Following the shameful performance against Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey, Barcelona have the chance to dust themselves off and get back to winning ways as they host Girona. With only La Liga to play for, there are no excuses for dodgy performances from Xavi's men. They should be bolstered by the defeat of Real Madrid by Villarreal, which means a win over Girona will take them 15 points clear of their eternal rivals, putting the league title within closer reach.

Girona are coming into this clash on the back of two wins, a draw and two losses in their last 5 games. They currently sit at 11th and have been fairly decent since they gained promotion. Only The top 3 teams in the league have scored more goals than the Catalans this season. It's unlikely that they'll be involved in the relegation battle, but they'll want to move further away from that with a positive result at the Camp Nou.

INTERESTING 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.

Last five meetings (in La Liga)

28/1/23 Girona 0-1 Barça 

27/1/19 Girona 0-2 Barça

28/9/18 Barça 2-2 Girona

24/2/18 Barça 6-1 Girona

23/9/17 Girona 0-3 Barça

TEAM NEWS

Barcelona

Xavi will once again be without the services of Pedri, Dembele, DeJong and Christensen. 

There won't be much changes in the side that played midweek. Ter Stegen will continue in goal, Roberto Araujo, Koundé and Balde should round up the defense.  Gavi, Kessie and Busquets will anchor the Midfield while Robert Lewandowski will be flanked by Raphinha and Ansu Fati.

Girona

Key midfielder Aleix Garcia has returned to training ahead of the contest, and the 25-year-old is expected to be back in the starting side for this clash.

However, Borja Garcia, Joel Roca, Alexander Callens, Yangel Herrera and Ibrahima Kebe are all expected to miss out through injury, while Reinier is suspended.

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.

Where are Barcelona vs Girona playing?

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Stadium: Spotify Camp Nou

Date: Monday 10 April

Kick-off Time: 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PST, 20:00 🇳🇬

Referee: Antonio Miguel Mateu Lahoz

Girona are very good, sometimes great going forward, but they've conceded as much as they've scored, keeping only one clean sheet this season, which is something Barcelona, who have kept 20 clean sheets, will take advantage of.

It's expected to be an entertaining derby, with Barcelona the favorites.

COPA DEL REY PREVIEW: BARCELONA VS REAL MADRID

It's the fifth(!) Clasico of the season. And a very crucial one at that, again. Who wins this?

Once again, The biggest rivalry in club football is upon us. We're truly fortunate to witness FIVE clasicos this season across three competitions. The scoreline reads 

3-1 in favour of Barcelona already, it's the second leg of the Copa del Rey Semi finals, a game that'll decide who faces Osasuna in the final at La Cartuja, Seville. As if both teams didn't have enough reason to win this game already.

Barcelona have had the upper hand in recent times, coming on top in the first leg at the Bernabeu by a slender 1-0 win, followed by a 2-1 win at the Camp Nou in La Liga which saw them move 12 points clear of Real Madrid in second place.

Both teams recorded impressive wins at the weekend going into this game: Barça saw off Elche in a 4-0 thrashing while Real Madrid thumped Real Valladolid 6-0. Positive feeling all around. And now they're both back at the Camp Nou. Who moves on and who gives in?

INTERESTING STATS

- Real Madrid have won 101 while Barcelona have won 100 out of the 253 matches played between the two teams.

- Real Madrid have lost their last three matches against Barcelona, all three defeats have come in 2023.

- Los Blancos have already lost three of their 11 matches in La Liga in 2023. They had suffered just four defeats in the entire 2022.

- Barcelona are on a five-match winning streak in all competitions.

- The Catalan giants have won five out of their last six matches against Real Madrid in all competitions.

TEAM NEWS

Barcelona

The Catalans will still have to make do without Ousmane Dembele, Pedri, Andreas Christensen and now, Frenkie DeJong. It makes the job a bit more difficult, but not impossible.

The team basically picks itself, sort of. Marc Andre TerStegen in goal, Araujo, Koundé, Alonso and  Balde in defense. Things get interesting from there. If it's a four-man midfield, we should see Gavi, Busquets, Kessie and Roberto. A three-man midfield will sacrifice one of the latter two for Ansu Fati, while Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha round up the attack.

Real Madrid

Ferland Mendy is ruled out with another injury relapse, while Antonio Rudiger remains a doubt, even though he made the squad list. Ancelotti will want to pull up a surprise in his starting XI and tactics, given how he's been dominated in the last 3 clasicos.

Courtois, Militao and Alaba are sure to start. The fullback positions will be filled by two of Carvajal, Vasquez, Camavinga and Nacho. Modric, Kroos, Tchouameni and Valverde will likely make the starting XI.

After a sublime hattrick in the weekend, Benzema is sure to line up alongside Vinicius Jr. Marco Asensio and Rodrygo have made strong cases to start as well.

Where and when are Barcelona vs Real Madrid playing?

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Stadium: Camp Nou

Date: Wednesday 5 April

Kick-off Time: 20:00 BST / 15:00 EST / 12:00 PST

Referee: Juan Martínez Munuera

VAR: Jose Luis González González

As with other versions of the ever grand El Clasico, this game is too close to call. One thing that's for sure: maximum entertainment. It's the last Clasico of the season. Hopefully it'll be the best one yet.