La Liga leaders Barcelona are away at Girona this weekend in a Catalan derby which Xavi will hope at least maintains his team’s three-point lead.
The home side are firmly in midtable and the visitors will be without both Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres due to suspension. It could also be a first for the Blaugrana’s new Senyera fourth jersey. Barca overcame Real Sociedad in midweek to reach the Copa del Rey semifinals.
Three days after beating Real Sociedad to advance to the semifinals of the Copa del Rey, FC Barcelona is back in action in La Liga play Saturday against Girona at Municipal de Montilivi in Girona, Spain.
It’s the first matchup between the sides since July 24, 2021, when Barcelona won, 3-1, in a club friendly. Barcelona currently sits first in La Liga with 44 points; Girona is 11th with 21 points.
There were only cheers from the crowd at the Camp Nou after the France forward led the hosts to the semifinals of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.
Dembélé scored the winning goal early in the second half as Barcelona defeated 10-man Real Sociedad 1-0 to return to the last four after a one-year absence.
The result ended a nine-game winning streak for Sociedad, which played a man down from the 40th minute after Brais Méndez was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets.
It was Sociedad’s 27th straight loss to Barcelona as a visitor. It hasn’t won at the Catalan club in 31 matches, dating to 1991.
The Basque Country side arrived as one of the hottest teams in Spain with 21 wins in 28 matches in all competitions this season, with 13 of those wins coming in away games. It had lost only four times overall and is third in the Spanish league, six points behind leader Barcelona.
Matchday Thread Rules
We don’t have a lot of rules here, but there are a few things to keep in mind when joining our matchday threads:
Even if the referee sucks or we lose the game, watch the swearing. It’s just unnecessary. Also, don’t discuss illegal streaming links. Those who do it will be warned, and those who post links will be instantly banned. Finally, be nice to each other. This is a Barcelona community and we don’t need to offend one another.
Have fun with the game! Forever and ever, no matter the competition, VISCA EL BARÇA!
Team news
Girona: Michel’s men were unbeaten in seven until their 1-0 loss to Villarreal. David Lopez, Reinier, Ibrahima Kebe and Santiago Bueno will all be missing. However, Taty Castellanos could come in for Cristhian Stuani while Javi Hernandez should fill in for the suspended Bueno who saw red against El Submarino Amarillo.
Listen below and follow House of Champions, a CBS Sports soccer podcast, covering everything you need to know about the beautiful game. Make sure to tune in for coverage of the biggest games, stories, transfer news with Fabrizio Romano, and everything else going on in the world’s most popular sport.
Barca: Unbeaten in eight in La Liga with seven of those wins, Xavi’s men are in strong form. Pedri is fit despite coming off against Sociedad while Lewandwoski and Torres are banned but not hurt. Marcos Alonso, Raphinha, Sergi Roberto, and Jordi Alba could all start while Ansu Fati is also a possibility to replace the Polish hitman up top.
Prediction
This one should be tight as Girona do not do blowout losses and Barca are not at full strength in attack. Given that it is also something of a derby too, this one has narrow away win with both teams scoring written all over it. Pick: Girona 1, Barca 2.
