Barcelona are on a great run of form in La Liga. The Blaugrana have won four straight league matches and are just two points off of league leaders Real Madrid.
Elche will visit Camp Nou on Saturday. The Green Striped Ones are second from the bottom of the standings. Elche have just one point from 15 points on offer this season. Their last three matches in La Liga ended in losses for Elche.
Focus turns to #BarçaElche 💪 pic.twitter.com/etWJDABRmK— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) September 15, 2022
Focus turns to #BarçaElche 💪 pic.twitter.com/etWJDABRmK
Barcelona have a sterling record against Elche in their last six meetings. The Blaugrana have a record of six wins from six matches and have outscored Elche 17-3 during that time. Twenty-two yellow cards and two red cards were handed out across the teams’ last six matches.
The Catalans have four points from six points on offer this season. They have not conceded a goal at Camp Nou while scoring four times.
Elche have zero points from six points on offer away from home in the league. The Green Striped Ones have not scored a goal on the road. They have conceded seven times to opponents away.
Barcelona are coming off a 2-0 loss to Bayern Munich away in midweek Champions League play. The Catalans missed several great scoring opportunities during the match. Robert Lewandowski struggled against his former team.
The striker is in good form in La Liga, however. Lewandowski has six goals this season in the league. He has 40% of Barcelona’s goals.
Xavi has no new injury issues heading into the weekend. However, Elche manager Francisco Rodriguez has two players in the treatment room. Midfielder Gerard Gumbau and defender Gonzalo Verdu are both likely to miss the game due to injuries.
The Barcelona manager could use a similar starting XI as the one used versus Bayern Munich in midweek. Lewandowski should start down the middle of the front three. Ousmane Dembele and Raphinha could play on either side of the Polish striker.
Ansu Fati, Ferran Torres, and Memphis Depay will be in line to play in the front three. Meanwhile, Xavi has favoured Pedri and Gavi on either side of a defensive midfielder.
Elche have scored La Liga’s second-fewest goals with just two. Alex Collado and Ezequiel Ponce have combined for Elche’s two goals.
Barcelona should post a win versus Elche at the weekend. The Catalans should win 2-0 and move into first place. Real Madrid play Atletico in the derby. If Real Madrid drop points, Barcelona could go into the international break top of the La Liga standings.