Barcelona
vs
Almeria
Match Schedule:
Date: October 3rd
Time: 18:00 (GMT)
Added Incentive For The Champions
When Pep Guardiola looked at fixture list at the start of the season, Atletico Madrid would have been the stand-out game in terms of difficulty, and they coasted through that with ease. As a result, anything short of maximum points going into the international break will be seen as a disappointment for the Catalan giants.
They have the added incentive of knowing that a comprehensive win may put a little extra pressure on rivals Real Madrid, who face a testing trip away to Sevilla on Sunday. Barcelona would love to go into the international break with even the slightest psychological advantage over their great rivals, and winning well against Almeria would be the perfect way to lay down the gauntlet to Madrid. Of course, Madrid could very well win, but first blood is potentially there for the taking.
This fixture last season was one of those games in which Barca started at a lightning quick pace and won the game inside the opening 20 minutes. Four of their five goals came inside 25 minutes, and the fifth came before the break. Such systematic destruction of teams of a lower level was one of the cornerstones of Barca's success last term, and coach Pep Guardiola will be keen to retain that ruthlessness as this campaign wears on.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic will want to continue his impressive scoring start, while Lionel Messi is odds on for Ballon d'Or success this year. Andres Iniesta is fully fit, or close to it, while Bojan Krkic is also returning for the Blaugrana. The mood at Camp Nou couldn't be better, and a big win here would be the perfect celebration before the international break.
First Blood Vital For Visitors
Almeria's last four fixtures have been against teams Barcelona have faced already this season. Though the Andalusian side have managed a decent return of five points from those games and a neutral goal difference, Barca secured maximum points with a positive goal difference of 11 against the same four opponents.
Those statistics suggest Barcelona will be challenging for the title next April whereas Almeria will be desperately clinging to their Primera Liga status, and there is a strong chance that is exactly how things will pan out for both sides.
Almeria finished 11th last term and eighth the previous season largely thanks to the goals provided by Alvaro Negredo. Without that supply they will struggle to put three points on the board in games, and scraping draws will not keep them in the top tier of Spanish football.
Hugo Sanchez said this week that his side can surprise Barcelona at Camp Nou, and they can, but they need to do what no side has managed so far this season against the champions, score first. Then the easy part is defending for their lives and hitting Barca on the counterattack.
FORM GUIDE
Barcelona
Sept 29 Barcelona 2-0 Dynamo Kiev (UEFA Champions League
Sept 26 Malaga 0-2 Barcelona (La Liga)
Sept 22 Racing Santander 1-4 Barcelona (La Liga)
Sept 19 Barcelona 5-2 Atletico Madrid (La Liga)
Sept 16 Inter 0-0 Barcelona (UEFA Champions League)
Sept 27 Almeria 2-2 Racing Santander (La Liga)
Sept 23 Atletico Madrid 2-2 Almeria (La Liga)
Sept 20 Almeria 1-0 Getafe (La Liga)
Sept 13 Sporting Gijon 1-0 Almeria (La Liga)
Aug 30 Almeria 0-0 Real Valladolid (La Liga)
TEAM NEWS
Barcelona
Dmytro Chygrynskiy is out after straining knee ligaments last week. Bojan Krkic could return to the squad after a month on the sidelines, but Thierry Henry is unlikely to recover from his injury in time. Pep Guardiola will probably name his strongest possible side with the international break coming up.
Probable Starting XI (4-3-3): Valdes – Alves, Pique, Puyol, Abidal – Keita, Xavi, Busquets – Messi, Ibrahimovic, Iniesta
Almeria
Cameroonian central midfielder Modeste M'Bami could make his debut after signing a season-long deal with the club. Hugo Sanchez has no injury concerns going into the game and should field an unchanged side from that which drew with Racing Santander last week.
Probable Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Diego Alves – Michel, Acasiete, Chico, Guilherme – Bernardello, Soriano – Nieto, Piatti, Crusat – Uche.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Barcelona
All eyes will be on Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic to see if he can maintain his impressive start to life in La Liga by scoring for the Blaugrana in a sixth straight league game.
Almeria
PREDICTION
A repeat of last years scoreline wouldn't be a surprise, especially given that Pep Guardiola doesn't have a fixture to concern him again until October 18. It should be a comprehensive home win.
Barcelona 4-0 Almeria
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