Thus far, the injury crisis at FC Barcelona has not truly caught up to them. They are still top of the table, and unblemished in the league. Will they stay perfect when they visit Osasuna on Saturday? The latest addition to the treatment room is nothing short of calamitous- first choice goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
He is now done for the season. How will the Blaugranes respond? They will simply need to outscore people.
FC Barcelona at Osasuna FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. Sept. 28, 9pm, El Sadar, Pamplona, Spain
Barca Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
La Liga Standing, Form: Osasuna 7th, 11 pts, LWLWD FC Barcelona 1st, 21 pts, WWWWW
Google Result Probability: Osasuna 15% Draw 19% FC Barcelona 66%
Yes, that sounds cliche at best; mind-numbingly obvious/reductive at worst. However, you get the idea, as now the Catalan club has to believe that their expected goals per game allowed rate will go up. In turn, they need to increase the expected goals scored per game rate.
Have at it Barca attack. #Analysis
FC Barcelona Starting XI Prediction at Osasuna
Inaki Pena; Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, Alejandro Balde; Eric Garcia, Pedri; Raphinha; Ferran Torres, Lamine Yamal; 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. 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, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.