BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — After a humiliating result against Chelsea, Barcelona will be hoping for a win when they host Alaves in La Liga on Saturday.
The match gives Barcelona the chance to move ahead of leaders Real Madrid in the Spanish standings, the day before Xabi Alonso’s side visit Girona.
Barcelona capitalized on several mistakes by Madrid to close the gap in La Liga to just one point. However, Hansi Flick’s team collapsed. Lost 0-3 to Chelsea in the Champions League on Tuesday.
“We have to accept defeat and stay positive about what happens next,” Flick said.
key match
Flick’s focus will be on improving London’s disjointed defense, which was clearly lacking the leadership and smart play of Iñigo Martinez, who left for Saudi Arabia last summer.
Right-back Jules Kounde conceded an own goal before half-time at Stamford Bridge and central defender Ronald Araujo was sent off.
The game against Alaves will be Barcelona’s second return to the Camp Nou. Still under renovation. last weekend Defeated Athletic Bilbao 4-0 It was the first time in over two years that a game was played at the stadium.
Alaves have lost two of their last four league games and are in 14th place.
After the game against Alavés, Barcelona will have only three days of rest before facing Atlético Madrid in another match between the Spanish league favorites.
Madrid are also struggling defensively. For that, Kylian Mbappé’s hat trick This was to secure a 4-3 win against Olympiakos in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Before that, Madrid had drawn against Elche and Rayo Vallecano in La Liga and lost 1-0 to Liverpool in Europe.
Villarreal are closing in on the lead. They are three points behind Madrid before they play Real Sociedad on Sunday.
Featured players
Barcelona fans will be keeping an eye on Lamine Yamal in hopes of putting in another strong performance after he was sent off against Chelsea after being marked by former Camp Nou youth player Marc Cucurella.
Mbappe will be aiming to increase his goal tally at relegation-threatened Girona. The French star leads La Liga with 13 wins and nine in the Champions League.
Villarreal’s success has been based on team play, with young forward Alberto Moreiro emerging as one of the league’s revelations with four goals and two assists.
Activity suspended
Chelsea lacked the stability of Pedri González in Barcelona’s midfield. recover from muscle strain Because of this, he was out of work for almost a month.
If Pedri returns against Alaves, he could fill the void left by Fermin López. Barcelona announced on Thursday that the midfielder would be out for two weeks due to a “minor injury” in the lower right leg.
off the field
Barcelona plans to hold a presidential election next summer to elect a new board, with two rival candidates recently announcing they will take on incumbent Joan Laporta.
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