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.