FC Barcelona have a wonderful opportunity to pick up some ground in the La Liga title race this weekend. Saturday sees their two closest competitors, Real Madrid and Villarreal, squaring off. Obviously, Barcelona is hoping to see the two sides split the spoils there. If both drop two points, it would, naturally, be very good for the Catalan club. Additionally, Barca get lowly Real Oviedo at home on Sunday. The home fixture against the bottom side in the table is always the easiest match, at least on paper, of the season.
That rule certainly holds across all levels, in all countries, in the beautiful game.
FC Barcelona vs Real Oviedo FYIs
Kickoff: Sun. Jan. 25, 4:15pm, Camp Nou, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
LL Position, Form: FC Barcelona 1st, 49 pts WWWWL Real Oviedo, 20th, 13 pts, LDDDL
Google Result Probability: FC Barcelona 88% Draw 8% Real Oviedo 4%
FC Barcelona Team News vs Real Oviedo
The selection situation remains the same as it was prior to the win over Slavia Praha. These same four injured players remain out- Ferran Torres (unspecified knee injury), Pedri (hamstring) Gavi (knee) and Andreas Christensen (also a knee).
FC Barcelona Predicted Starting XI vs Real Oviedo
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.