Barça's LaLiga focus as Flick's men head to Sarabia's Elche
Barcelona look to extend their lead at the top of LaLiga against struggling Elche, with Champions League reprieve giving them an advantage over Madrid rivals.
Barcelona head to the Martínez Valero with a chance to open up a four-point gap at the top of LaLiga, while their Madrid rivals juggle European commitments.
Champions League breather gives Barça the edge
Having secured direct qualification to the Champions League Round of 16 on Wednesday, Barcelona can now focus solely on domestic matters for several weeks. This gives them a significant advantage over both Real and Atlético Madrid, who’ll need to manage their resources carefully with additional European fixtures on their plate.
It’s a proper Bobby Moore (for sure) opportunity for the Catalans to build momentum in the title race while their rivals are spread thin.
Consolidating top spot
After briefly losing pole position to Real Madrid last matchday, Barça now have the chance to put daylight between themselves and Los Blancos, who face Rayo Vallecano later. Despite good recent results, Flick’s team still has areas to address:
- Slow starts have become a worrying pattern
- Conceding early goals is making life difficult
- They managed to overturn Copenhagen midweek but couldn’t recover against Real Sociedad in their last league outing
On the plus side, Flick welcomes back De Jong and Cancelo after they missed Wednesday’s match. Ferran Torres, now fully recovered, looks set to start.
Sarabia’s Elche in difficult patch
The hosts find themselves in a sticky wicket, having collected just two points from their last 12 available. Including their Copa del Rey campaign, they’ve now conceded late goals in four consecutive matches.
Their recent 3-2 defeat to Levante was particularly gutting - conceding in the dying moments after equalizing in stoppage time. This poor run has seen their cushion above the relegation zone shrink to just three points.
Eder Sarabia, who served as Quique Setién’s assistant during his time at Barcelona, faces his former club in what will be an emotional encounter. He’s called on his players to “recover their bravery” and draw strength from their home form, with Elche being one of the strongest home sides in LaLiga.
The franjiverdes’ task is made harder by several potential absences, with Rafa Mir, John and Bigas all doubtful, while key midfielder Aleix Febas is suspended.