FC Barcelona are looking to get back to winning ways this afternoon, when they square off against Sporting Gijon in Saturday’s mid-afternoon kick-off. This will be the first time that the Blaugrana have kicked off at this time in quite some time, and if we cast our mind back to last season, there were times when the earlier kick-off somewhat impacted our usual rhythm.
That being said, we kicked off in the lunchtime slot last weekend against Leganes, and showed no signs of rust or lethargy, crushing the Madrid-based outfit 5-1. Repeating that result today at El Molinon will be a tough ask; Sporting Gijon have won five of their last six home matches in La Liga, claiming some notable scalps along the way.
In Abelardo Fernandez, Sporting boast a manager who not only knows Luis Enrique, but can count himself as one of Lucho’s closest friends. Whether this will provide him with a slight advantage remains to be seen, but it only serves to enhance the subplots around this game. The biggest narrative though is whether Barcelona can cope without the services of star player, Lionel Messi.
The Blaugrana were without Messi for a substantial period around the same time last season, and it spurred them into life – kicking off one of their best periods of the season. Luis Suarez and Neymar both shined in Messi’s absence, and with a stronger squad to lean on this time round, there is hope we can do the same this season too.
How do you see today’s game going without Messi? Let us know by leaving your prediction in the comments section below. As always, best of luck!
from Barca Blaugranes - All Posts http://ift.tt/2cUpGOX
0 التعليقات:
إرسال تعليق