Barcelona

Last weekend, Barcelona picked up a 1-0 defeat to Rayo Vallecano at Camp Nou, courtesy of a goal from Álvaro García (7'). It was the second defeat for Barcelona in five games, WWLWL, and saw the club drop one spot down the table, from 2nd to 3rd place, after Sevilla [64 points] picked up a 1-1 draw with Cadiz on Friday. Barcelona are now one point adrift of second-placed Sevilla, having picked up 63 points from 18W, 9D, and 6L. Barcelona aims to reclaim lost ground at the weekend as the club now sets its sights on a second-place finish, knowing that Real Madrid could pick up the La Liga title this weekend. Barcelona has won their last eight LaLiga games against Mallorca since a 1-1 draw at Camp Nou in October 2010. Furthermore, Barcelona have scored in each of their last 25 meetings with RCD Mallorca in LaLiga (69 goals and 2.8 GPG), their second-best current scoring streak in the competition. Having lost their last three home games across all competitions, Barca could pick up four home defeats in a row for the first time in their club history. Xavi will use the 4—3—3 formation again, again with an attacking trio of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ferran Torres, and Ousmane Dembélé. Dembélé is currently caught in a tug of war between PSG and Barcelona. According to numerous reports, the highly sought-after forward has been offered a huge financial incentive to make the switch to Les Parisiens. However, it appears the 24-year-old wishes to stay in Barcelona, with new reports indicating positive steps in negotiations between the club and the player. Meanwhile, Ansu Fati could make a return this weekend against Mallorca, having suffered a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Following the 1-0 win over Real Sociedad on Thursday, Barcelona picked up three more points in their race to stay ahead of second-placed Sevilla [63 points]. Aubameyang (11’) bagged the only goal of the game inside the first fifteen minutes. In a post-match press conference, Xavi said, "I am satisfied with the three points. It's a vital victory for the future of the team and the club. I'm not satisfied with the game. We suffered in the second half. We have to be honest and self-critical. We haven't played well and we need to improve." The victory leaves Barcelona with the form, "WWWLW", while having 63 points from 18W, 9D, and 5L. Barcelona have won their last seven home games against Rayo Vallecano in La Liga and could record eight home wins in a row against them for the first time in La Liga. In addition, Barcelona have lost their last two home games, and are looking to avoid three in a row, having last suffered three consecutive defeats at home in all competitions between 1997/98 and 1998/99 under Louis Van Gaal. Ousmane Dembélé is expected to keep his place in Xavi’s attacking trio, alongside Ferran Torres and mid-week hero Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, for this clash against the Vallecans.

Barcelona picked up a 1-0 defeat to Cadiz on Monday, courtesy of a single goal from Lucas Perez (48’). "We are angry, the players first, because we missed a golden chance to separate ourselves from those in the fight for the Champions League places," Xavi said after the defeat. "This is Barça and we have to do more. The rivals sit deep, and that requires decisions that are harder to take. We have to get in the box more. We have trained it," the Barcelona boss added. The loss leaves Barca in second place, with 60 points, along with Sevilla and Atletico Madrid [60 points each], after 17W, 9D, and 5L. It was the first loss for Barcelona in five league games, WWWWL. Meanwhile, Barcelona have not lost any of their last 12 LaLiga away games [7W & 5D], winning the last four since a 1-0 defeat against Rayo Vallecano back in October 2021. Ousmane Dembélé is expected to keep his place in Xavi’s attacking trio, alongside Ferran Torres, while Memphis Depay could be knocked out of the starting line-up by Aubameyang for this clash against Real Sociedad.

Barcelona are looking to return to winning ways on Spanish soil after crashing out of the UEFA Europa League following Thursday’s 3-2 defeat to Frankfurt [4-3 loss on aggregate]. In what appeared to be an invasion of Camp Nou, there were over 30,000 Frankfurt supporters in the stands, despite arrangements for only 5,000 tickets for the German outfit. "Now we have to recover the players and continue to compete. We play Cádiz on Monday. The league is what’s left and we have to keep going," Xavi said after the exit from European soil. Back in LaLiga, Barca picked up a hard-fought 3-2 win over Levante away from home last weekend. The club remained in 2nd place, 12 points adrift of first-placed Real Madrid [72 points], while having 60 points from 17W, 9D, and 4L. Barcelona has five straight LaLiga victories, WWWWW, ahead of Monday’s game. Furthermore, the club is unbeaten in their last 15 LaLiga matches [11W, 4D], and looking to win eight consecutive games for the first time in the competition since January 2019, having won seven in a row. However, despite a 100% home scoring record against Cadiz, with goals in all 13 home meetings, Barcelona have not won any of their last three games against Cádiz in LaLiga. But a great record on the first day of the week leaves Barcelona with seven victories in eight LaLiga games. Xavi is now aiming for another win to add to the tally of Monday victories. A 4—3—3 formation with Ferran Torres, Aubameyang, and Ousmane Dembélé in attack is expected from Xavi for Monday's clash. Samuel Umtiti rejoined the squad for group training on Friday, while Pedri is now ruled out of the season following a hamstring injury against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Following Thursday's 1-1 draw, Barcelona failed to secure any form of advantage over ten-man Frankfurt ahead of the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final clash in Spain. The Spanish outfit was down with a one-goal deficit in the 48th minute but found the leveler through Ferran Torres (66’) after a well-orchestrated old-fashioned Barcelona goal, inspired by Ousmane Dembélé. "We lost a few unnecessary balls, and we have to reduce those errors, be aggressive in pressing after we lose possession," Xavi said in a post-match interview. "In the second half, we were better and had more control," he added. Back in LaLiga, Barcelona moved into second place on the table following the 1-0 win over Sevilla. The club has five victories in a row, WWWWW, and 57 points from 16W, 9D, & 4L. Barcelona has the best current unbeaten run of any side in Europe's top five leagues [14G: 10W & 4D], having won their last six LaLiga matches, keeping a clean sheet in the last three. Xavi will be looking to see the remarkable unbeaten run intact at the end of the weekend. For this match against Levante, Barça could line up the 4—3—3, with Ferran Torres, Aubameyang, and Traore in attack. Memphis Depay (hamstring) is ruled out alongside Luuk de Jong (COVID-19).

After thrashing Real Madrid, 4-0, in the El Clásico, Barcelona are looking to trade places with second-placed Sevilla [57 points] at the end of Matchday 30. Barcelona are making their return with five straight league victories, WWWWW, while having 54 points from 15W, 9D, & 4L. A win for Barcelona would see the club move into second place ahead of Sevilla based on goal difference. Barcelona are unbeaten in their last 18 home episodes against Sevilla in LaLiga [15W, 3D, & 0L], since a 3-0 defeat in December 2002, with Louis van Gaal in charge. Xavi would like to see the impressive two-decade unbeaten home run against Los Hispalenses remain intact at the end of the weekend. Xavi has stuck to the 4—3—3 ever since his arrival at the club and is expected to keep the attacking trio of Aubameyang, Ferran Torres, and Ousmane Dembélé in place for Sunday's game. Dembélé re-opened talks with the club, having shown a willingness to remain with Barcelona beyond the current season. According to Mundo Deportivo, the Frenchman is happy with his recent form while working under Xavi. Meanwhile, Barcelona have no major injuries ahead of Sunday’s clash against Sevilla. In other related news, the club held talks with Antonio Rüdiger’s agent with the desire to see the Germany international put pen to paper as a free agent in the summer. With talks of Robert Lewandowski cooling off, the Spanish side have turned their focus to securing the signature of Raphinha from Leeds United.

Following Thursday’s 2-1 comeback win over Galatasaray, Barcelona advanced into the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League, where they will now face Eintracht Frankfurt, in the first leg on April 7 at the Deutsche Bank Park. Last weekend, Barcelona smashed Osasuna to pieces in a 4-0 win on home soil. Four wins in a row (DWWWW) for Barcelona, who sit in 3rd place with 51 points from 14W, 9D, and 4L, precedes Sunday’s El Clásico. A victory over Real Madrid on Sunday could see Barcelona close in on second-placed Sevilla if the latter fails to pick up a victory over Real Sociedad. Pedri (37’) scored a remarkable goal against Galatasaray on Thursday, beating two with the dummy before finding the back of the net. He is expected to keep his place in Xavi’s 4—3—3 for this clash against Madrid. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (49’) also found the back of the net against the Turkish side and will likely be at the center of the attacking trio ahead of Memphis Depay for the weekend’s game. In other related news, Frenkie de Jong has indicated he will be signing another six-year-deal with the club.

FC Barcelona are coming off the back of a goalless draw against Galatasaray in Thursday’s episode of their UEFA Europa League round-of-16 clash. With the stalemate in place, Barcelona will look to get through to the quarter-finals next Thursday, March 17, at the NEF Stadyumu in Turkey when the reverse fixture gets underway. "We deserved a better result," Xavi said in a post-match interview after the goalless draw, having acknowledged the "great defensive work" of Galatasaray. Back in LaLiga, Barcelona picked up a 2-1 win over Elche and are now coming off the back of three victories in a row, WDWWW, - their best run since six in a row between February and April 2021 under Ronald Koeman. The clubs sit three points outside the top-three in 4th place, while having 48 points from 13W, 9D, and 4L. In the last 13 home games against Osasuna, Barca have hit the back of the net 46 times. Xavi would like to see his side do so once again as he looks to put the Europa League episode behind him. Aubameyang is expected to return to the starting line-up having been left on the bench against the Turkish outfit on Thursday. Meanwhile, Dembélé could also get the nod for the get-go at the expense of Adama Traore in attack, alongside Ferran Torres in Barca’s 4—3—3. In other related news, the Dutch trio of Luuk de Jong, Frenkie de Jong, and Memphis Depay were all called up for international duty, while Ronald Araujo and Dani Alves were on the list for Uruguay and Brazil, respectively.

Barcelona thrashed Athletic Club 4-0 at Camp Nou last weekend, with the troubled Ousmane Dembélé coming off the bench to inspire the club's three-goal haul after Barca's one-goal lead. It was Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (37') who put Barcelona in front with his fourth goal for the club. Ousmane Dembélé (73’) hit the back of the net with a fabulous left-footed effort six minutes after coming off the bench. Minutes later, he provided the assist for Luuk de Jong (90’) as Barcelona extended the lead to three, before providing one more assist for another second-half substitute, Memphis Depay (90’+4). Barcelona are unbeaten in five games and return with back-to-back victories, WWDWW, while having 45 points from 12W, 9D, and 4L. A fine record against the Ones from Elche could add up to Barcelona’s 10 consecutive LaLiga games without a defeat to produce three points for the club at the end of this clash. Last Sunday, Xavi lined up a 4—3—3 formation, with the attacking trio consisting of Adama Traore, Aubameyang, and Ferran Torres. But after Dembélé's exceptional performance last weekend, he is expected to break into the starting line-up at the expense of Traore. Red-hot-form Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is expected to keep his place alongside Ferran Torres. After serving a suspension, Jordi Alba will be available again, while Ansu Fati, Samuel Umtiti, and Sergi Roberto are all ruled out of this weekend’s clash against the Ones from Elche.

Barcelona cruised into the next round of the UEFA Europa League after an aggregate 5-3 win over Napoli following Thursday’s 4-2 win at the Stadio San Paolo. "I’m happy about the effort we put in and with the football we played," Xavi said after the victory at the Diego Armanda Maradona Stadium. "The result is fair. I am very happy for the players, this is the way forward. We are on the right road," Xavi added. Barcelona will take on the Turkish outfit, Galatasaray, in the Europa League round-of-16 on March 10 at Camp Nou. The European victory over the Italians comes after last weekend’s 4-1 win over Valencia at the Mestalla Stadium, leaving Barcelona unbeaten and with 11 points from a possible 15: DWWDW. In total, Barcelona has 42 points from 11W, 9D, and 4L. A victory for the club could see Xavi’s side reduce the four-point deficit on the top-three if third-placed Real Betis fails to defeat Sevilla over the weekend. Barcelona have hit the back of the net in nine consecutive games and are looking to do so once again on Sunday when they host Athletic Club at Camp Nou. Coupled with the remarkable goal-scoring run, Barcelona are unbeaten in 19 consecutive home games against the Lions. Xavi hopes the numbers will add up to three points on Sunday when he lays out the 4—3—3 formation. The trio consisting of Gavi, Aubameyang, and Ferran Torres are expected in attack. Jordi Alba is suspended, while Ansu Fati, Samuel Umtiti, and Sergi Roberto are all ruled out of this weekend’s clash against the Lions.