FC Barcelona (1st, 38pts) vs CD Leganés (17th, 15pts)*
*Standings at time of writing
Competition/Round: 2024-25 La Liga, Matchday 17
Date/Time: Sunday, December 15, 2024, 9pm CET/WAT (Barcelona & Nigeria), 8pm GMT (UK), 3pm ET, 12pm PT (USA), 1.30am IST (India, Monday)
Barcelona Outs & Doubts: Marc-André ter Stegen, Ansu Fati, Andreas Christensen, Marc Bernal (out)
Leganés Outs & Doubts: Valentin Rosier (out), Dani Raba, Darko Brasanac, Enric Franquesa (doubt)
Venue: Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Montjuïc, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Referee: Alejandro Quintero González
VAR: Juan Luis Pulido Santana
How to watch on TV: ESPN Deportes (USA), SuperSport (Nigeria), Premier Sports 1 (UK), others
How to watch online: ESPN+ (USA), LaLigaTV (UK), GXR World (India), Movistar+ (Spain), others
Following a thrilling victory over Borussia Dortmund in Champions League action in midweek, Barcelona return home for a very important La Liga game against struggling Leganés at the Montjuïc Olympic Stadium on Sunday Night Fútbol.
Barça come into this one looking to improve on their league form after dropping points in four of their last five matches, including a shocking loss to a Las Palmas team that came into that game in a similar scenario to this weekend’s opponents: a struggling team fighting against relegation and looking for a famous result in Catalonia.
The Blaugrana didn’t handle that game well two weeks ago, playing poorly with and without the ball and suffering their only home defeat of the season so far. They must rectify that mistake and get back on track, playing the kind of football that shows they are without a doubt the better team from start to finish.
It’s also important for Barça to perform well again and make sure of the three points going into the last game of 2024, which is a monster clash against a scorching hot Atlético Madrid that will have major implications in the title race.
Leganés will come to Montjuïc to most likely play with a back five, sit back, and try to exploit Barça’s high line to grab a winner on the counter. Unlike Las Palmas, however, this isn’t a solid team just going through a bad spell. Leganés have issues on both sides of the ball, and Barça shouldn’t have much trouble getting a win if they play seriously and are efficient in front of the goal.
Forget dancing. Just win and show your strength.
POSSIBLE LINEUPS
Barcelona (4-2-3-1): Peña; Kounde, Cubarsí, Iñigo, Balde; Casadó, Pedri; Yamal, Raphinha, Ferran; Lewandowski
Leganés: TBD
PREDICTION
I want to see Barça to play with hunger and intensity from the start to turn their form around ahead of a huge game: 3-0 to the good guys.