It’s felt like such a long time, but after just over a week since our last league game against Sevilla, Barça are finally back in action. This time on a Monday night. Live from the Estadi Olympic Lluis companys, it’s Barça against Rayo Vallecano, kicking off at 9pm local time.
It’s the final game of the matchday, which is unusual for us because we rarely play on a Monday in the league. However that’s all thanks to our brilliant Champions league campaign so far, meaning we are free from having to play an extra w games in the play offs. We’ve had the last week off, so we need to make that count. Especially considering some of the huge results that have happened over the course of the weekend.
Rayo are never an easy team to face, be that home or away. So it’s definitely not going to be a straight forward match, but it’s one of the most important games of the season so far, for many reasons. So let’s jump straight into the preview!
Quick Look at our opponent:
As mentioned above, Rayo Vallecano aren’t going to be a straight forward game for us by any means. They’ve got some talented, experienced players in La Liga who have caused us problems in the past and will look to do the same this time around too. Our last league game against them came all the way back at the very beginning of the season.
It was one of Dani Olmo’s very first appearances for the team and we also had young Marc Bernal holding up the midfield alongside Casado and Pedri. Unfortunately it was in that game that we lost Bernal due to amping term injury, but in the end we managed to come away from Vallecas with a win, a rare away win in fact. We’ll be looking to use our recent form coming into the new year as inspiration to get through yet another tricky and thought to call game in La Liga.
Predicted lineup:
When it comes to the lineup for the game, for me, I think it’s a pretty straight forward guess as to what Flick will decide to go with. They’ve only question possibly, would be if Lewandowski starts from the bench or if he is in the starting eleven.
For me, in a game like this, I would love to see Ferran Torres again as the number 9. Bringing all that movement and fluidity to the attack with Raphinha and Yamal on the flanks. In midfield, Olmo starting is a possibility and of course we can’t call on the services of the in form Fermin Lopez after he picked up a one game ban against Sevilla. So I would go with Pedri and Casado, Frenkie even as an alternative to Casado. And Gavi.
The defence pretty much picks itself too, Araujo would be in contention but he is a doubt after a knock he received in our last game. So as a precaution I’d imagine he’d start from the bench later tonight.
My starting 11:
Sczesney
Kounde- Cubarsi- Iñigo- Balde
Pedri- Frenkie
Yamal- Gavi- Raphinha
Ferran
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