Barcelona will be aiming to return to winning ways in Spain's top flight when they continue their campaign with a contest against Leganes at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Sunday night.
Hansi Flick's side are currently top of the La Liga table, two points clear of second-placed Real Madrid, while Leganes are down in 17th, having picked up 15 points from their opening 16 matches of the campaign.
Match preview
Raphinha of Barcelona during his side's match against Borussia Dortmund, on December 11, 2024© Imago
Barcelona have not been without their issues this season, but it has been a hugely positive opening half of the 2024-25 campaign for the Catalan outfit, who are top of La Liga and in excellent spot to advance to the next stage of the Champions League.
Flick's side will enter this match off the back of a statement win in Europe,beating Borussia Dortmund 3-2 in Germany, with the result leaving them second in the Champions League table, three points behind the leaders Liverpool.
Barcelona have a record of 12 wins, two draws and three defeats from 17 league matches this season, meanwhile, which is enough to top the table on 38 points, two points clear of second-placed Real Madrid, but the reigning champions have a game in hand.
The Catalan outfit have comfortably the best attacking record in La Liga this season, finding the back of the net on 50 occasions, but they have only actually won one of their last five in the league, suffering two defeats in the process.
Barcelona were on the verge of claiming an important three points away to Real Betis last weekend, with Ferran Torres sending them 2-1 ahead in the latter stages of the contest, but Assane Diao netted a 94th-minute leveller for the Seville outfit.
Leganes manager Borja Jimenez on April 12, 2024© Imago
Leganes, meanwhile, will enter this match off the back of a 3-0 home defeat to Real Sociedad, with the result leaving them in 17th spot in the La Liga table on 15 points, boasting a record of three wins, six draws and seven defeats from 16 matches.
El Lega are back at this level for the first time since 2019-20, so any spot over 18th would be considered as a successful campaign, and they have shown that they can compete at this level in the opening months of the season.
Borja Jimenez's side have drawn five of their eight matches on their travels this term, meanwhile, demonstrating that they are difficult to beat on the road, but all three of their league successes in 2024-25 have come in front of their own supporters.
Leganes have only locked horns with Barcelona on nine previous occasions, suffering eight defeats in the process, with their sole victory over the Catalan side coming on home soil in September 2018.
Barcelona have scored 26 times in the nine meetings between the two sides, meanwhile, but Leganes have found the back of the net in six of their fixtures, which is a record that should hand them confidence heading into Sunday's battle.
Barcelona La Liga form:
Barcelona form (all competitions):
Leganes La Liga form:
Leganes form (all competitions):
Team News
Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo on August 31, 2024© Imago
Barcelona remain without the services of long-term absentees Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Marc Bernal, but Ronald Araujo was on the bench against Dortmund, and the Uruguay international is now in line to make his first appearance of the campaign.
Ansu Fati and Andreas Christensen are also now back in full training, with the pair recovering from injuries, and it is possible that both could be included in the squad for the La Liga contest with Leganes.
There had been some concern over Raphinha's fitness after the Dortmund clash, but the Brazilian is fit and should start, meaning that Torres might have to accept a spot on the bench once again despite scoring four times in his last three appearances.
Frenkie de Jong, Gavi and Fermin Lopez are also options for Flick, demonstrating the strength of his squad, but all three are expected to be named among the substitutes for the first whistle.
As for Leganes, Darko Brasanac, Dani Raba and Enric Franquesa will miss the match through injury, while Valentin Rosier is suspended due to the milestone booking that he picked up against Real Sociedad last time out.
Head coach Jimenez is expected to resist the temptation to completely shuffle his pack on Sunday, but Juan Cruz and Munir El Haddadi could come into the XI, with the latter potentially starting against the club that he represented between 2011 and 2018.
Miguel de la Fuente should continue through the middle for Leganes, with Diego Garcia potentially dropping down to the bench to allow Munir to operate on the right for the promoted club.
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Pena; Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Balde; Casado, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski
Leganes possible starting lineup:
Dmitrovic; Alti, Gonzalez, Nastasic, Hernandez; Tapia, Neyou; Munir, Rodriguez, Cruz; De la Fuente
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We say: Barcelona 3-1 Leganes
There will be no Flick on the touchline for Barcelona, with the manager serving a suspension due to his red card against Real Betis last weekend. Leganes are capable of making this a tricky encounter for the Catalan giants, but we are struggling to see anything other than a routine home victory for the team at the top of the division.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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