Barcelona vs Elche: Back on the hunt for victory
The Catalans want to play well and win before the international break starts
Defeat in Munich in the Champions League, the first of the season, hurt Barcelona. Xavi‘s team had reached top speed, with five wins in a row, and after a game where they put Bayern under a lot of pressure they ended up defeated. For that reason, to get the good feelings back, the team needs a good result in the last match ahead of the first international break of the season. There might be only a couple of rotations, with Xavi wanting the best version of his team out there before the break. What will be important is managing minutes, and maybe a couple of regulars will be given some rest.
Xavi will demand that the team, who only dropped two points on the season so far, improve their finishing. He wants them to finish the first part of the season with the taste of victory and dominating the game with the ball at their feet.
In goalIngo will be will be Marc-André ter Stegen, undroppable. The German is the only player in the team who has played every minute available. In the full-back slots could be Bellerin to allow Koundé to rest while Balde should be left back after not playing in Munich. In defence Araújo and Eric could be paired.
In the midfield Busquets, the captain, will be there barring any setbacks, along with Gavi, who has just renewed his contract until 2026, and Pedri, who will have to pick himself up after a couple of big misses in Munich.
In attack changes are not expected with Raphinha, Lewandowski, and Dembélé likely to start, although it’s not ruled out that Ansu Fati or Ferran Torres could get game time.
