Leganes v Barcelona – Line-ups, stats and preview

by oqtey
Leganes v Barcelona - Line-ups, stats and preview

Match preview for Leganes v Barcelona

Relegation-threatened Leganes host LaLiga leaders Barcelona on Saturday evening.

A win for Barcelona would see them move seven points clear of Real Madrid, who sit in second place and don’t play until Sunday.

Leganes come into the match sitting 18th in the standings with 28 points from 30 matches. They are two points adrift of safety and stunned Barcelona with a 1-0 win earlier in the season

Their home form has been solid, collecting 18 points from 15 matches at the Estadio Municipal de Butarque.

Barcelona are riding high after a 4-0 win over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League and Hansi Flick’s squad is still chasing a historic treble. In addition to topping La Liga, they’ve reached the Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid.

Last weekend, Barca were held 1-1 by Real Betis, which ended a nine-game league winning streak. However, they’ve been lethal away from home recently, winning three straight on the road and scoring 10 goals in those fixtures.

They’ve already scored 83 goals in the league this season – 20 more than their nearest rivals Real Madrid – and with the chance to extend their lead atop the table to seven points, there’s plenty of motivation.

Despite the December defeat to Leganes, Barcelona have dominated past encounters overall, winning eight of the last ten matchups in all competitions.

Team news for Leganes v Barcelona

Leganes are without Enric Franquesa due to a knee injury. However, Oscar Rodriguez is available again after serving a suspension.

The coach may stick with the side that drew against Osasuna, likely including Diego Garcia in attack. Dani Raba, who has four goals in his last three league games, is expected to feature centrally again.

Robert Lewandowski could be rested as manager Flick rotates the squad, with Ferran Torres a possible starter up front. Ronald Araujo and Gavi are also in contention to return to the starting eleven, potentially replacing Inigo Martinez and Fermin Lopez.

Lamine Yamal is available despite a knock scare during the midweek match. However, Dani Olmo, Marc Casado, Marc Bernal, and Marc-Andre ter Stegen remain sidelined.

Expected line-ups for Leganes v Barcelona

Leganes: Dmitrovic; Gonzalez, Nastasic, Tapia; Rosier, Cisse, Neyou, J Hernandez; Cruz, Raba, D Garcia

Barcelona: Szczesny; Kounde, Cubarsi, Araujo, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Gavi, Raphinha; Torres

How to watch Leganes v Barcelona: TV channel, online stream

Leganes v Barcelona will kick-off at 20:00 on Saturday and is available to watch on LaLigaUK TV. Fans can also find the match on Premier Sports 2 or Premier Sports Player.

The stats for Leganes v Barcelona

  • Leganes have lost 3 of the last 4 matches in the LaLiga and the number of goals was over 2.5
  • Barcelona have won 4 of the last 5 matches in the LaLiga while scoring more than 2.5 goals
  • Barcelona have won the last 3 away matches in a row in the LaLiga while scoring more than 1.5 goals
  • Barcelona have won 5 of the last 7 away matches while scoring more than 1.5 goals

Prediction

Leganes may have pulled off an upset earlier in the campaign, but Barcelona are in red-hot form and chasing silverware on all fronts.

The home side will likely put up a fight, but the visitors’ quality should see them through comfortably in the end.

Prediction: Leganes 0-3 Barcelona

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