FC Barcelona certainly looked good yesterday, in thrashing Copenhagen 4-1 in the UEFA Champions League. And they’ll have an even stronger side at their disposal when they they head to Elche on Saturday. That’s because they’ll be getting midfielder Frenkie de Jong back from suspension. Look for the Dutchman to go straight back into a starting role in the middle of the park.
Barcelona need to be at their strongest too; as Real Madrid are just one point behind them now in the table.
FC Barcelona at Elche FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. Jan. 31, 8pm, Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero, Elche, Spain
LL Position, Form: FC Barcelona 1st, 52 pts WWWLW Elche, 11th, 24 pts, WLDDL
Google Result Probability: FC Barcelona 72% Draw 16% Elche 12%
FC Barcelona Team News vs Elche
With Ferran Torres getting back to full fitness and coming back into the team, it’s just the same three injured players who remain out- Pedri (hamstring) Gavi (knee problem) and Andreas Christensen (also a knee injury). We still think that Torres starts on the bench here however.
And an interesting aside, defender Hector Fort is currently on loan at Elche, but you know the rules- he cannot feature here against his parent club.
FC Barcelona Predicted Starting XI vs Elche
Joan Garcia; Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin, Alejandro Balde; Eric Garcia, Frenkie de Jong; Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez, Raphinha; Robert Lewandowski
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.