Barcelona vs Leganes Preview: Where to Watch, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News
Barcelona welcome 13th place Leganes in La Liga on Sunday looking to sustain their five point lead over Atletico Madrid at the top of the table.
The Blaugrana are on course to claim a fifth La Liga title in six years, facing a side who have won back-to-back matches against Real Madrid and Huesca respectively.
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Check out 90min's preview of Saturday's tie below.
Where to Watch
When Is Kick Off? | Sunday 20th January |
What Time Is Kick Off? | 19:45 GMT |
Where Is it Played? | Camp Nou |
TV Channel/Live Stream? | beIN SPORTS CONNECT |
Referee? | N/A |
Team News
After fielding a strong side in Thursday's outing against Levante in the Copa del Rey, Ernesto Valverde might look to rest a few players with struggling Leganes on the horizon. However, the club are short in central defence with both Thomas Vermaelen and Sameul Umtiti sidelined - forcing Valverde to play on loan Colombian Jeison Murillo in only his second game for the Blaugrana on Thursday.
The other injuries for Valverde to contend with are long-term absentee Rafinha, who suffered a ruptured cruciate ligament and isn't due back until May, while Sergi Samper's calf injury has kept him out of action since November.
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Visitors Leganes head to Camp Nou hoping striker Michael Santos could return from a knock, with centre back Ezequiel Munoz set to miss out with a groin injury.
Predicted Lineups
Barcelona | Cillessen; Semedo, Pique, Lenglet, Alba; Arthur, Rakitic, Vidal; Dembele, Suarez, Messi. |
Leganes | Cuellar; Juanfran, Bustinza, Omeruo, Siovas, Kravetz, Eraso, Recio, Gerard Gumbao, Merino, Braithwaite |
Head to Head Record
It could be a case of revenge for Barcelona as they suffered their first loss of the season when they travelled to Leganes back in September. Los Pepineros pulled off a major shock as Nabil el Zhar and Oscar Rodriguez scored just 68 seconds apart to overturn their 1-0 deficit - in a clash between what was top and bottom of La Liga.
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The season before, however, saw Barcelona claim six points over Sunday's visitors, scoring six goals in the process on their way to the title.
Recent Form
Despite surprisingly losing 2-1 in the first leg of their Copa del Rey round of 16 match away at Levante, Valverde's men overturned that deficit and restored parity with a 3-0 win on Thursday. Sandwiched in between was another 3-0 success over Eibar in La Liga.
Leganes, meanwhile, have secured back-to-back 1-0 victories over Huesca in La Liga and Real Madrid in the second leg of their Copa del Rey round of 16 match, respectively. In this case, however, it wasn't enough to overturn a 3-0 aggregate score they suffered in the first leg.
Barcelona | Leganes |
Barcelona 3-0 Levante (17/1) | Leganes 1-0 Real Madrid (16/1) |
Barcelona 3-0 Eibar (13/1) | Leganes 1-0 Huesca (12/1) |
Levante 2-1 Barcelona (10/1) | Real Madrid 3-0 Leganes (09/1) |
Getafe 1-2 Barcelona (06/1) | Espanyol 1-0 Leganes (04/12) |
Barcelona 2-0 Celta Vigo (22/12) | Leganes 1-1 Sevilla (23/12) |
Prediction
With their attentions turned to domestic action now, Barcelona will be keen to maintain their healthy five point lead atop of La Liga. Hosting a Leganes side full of confidence, having won their last two matches, there is always the possibility of a potential banana skin on the cards.
That said, it is a different kettle of fish when you travel to Catalonia to play Barcelona, and it would be a monumental shock should the visitors acquire a positive result on Sunday. The surprising statistic is that Leganes have only conceded one more goal than the hosts in the league this season, their tally of 21 is impressive, however, they've only mustered 17 goals in comparison.
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Potentially a tight affair, but if anyone can break down the Leganes defence, it's Lionel Messi's Barcelona.
Prediction: Barcelona 2-0 Leganes
