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Barcelona are one of just five unbeaten teams remaining in La Liga. The Catalans have won three of their four games so far this season, with the one draw coming in the opening matchday against Getafe.
They are two points behind league leaders Real Madrid, who have won four in four, and can afford to lose no more ground at this early juncture.
Matchday 5 pits the Blaugranas against Manuel Pellegrini’s Real Betis who sit seventh on the league standings. A win on Saturday could take them to provisional first place on the table, although Real Madrid play one day later and can reclaim their throne.
Barça Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Real Betis.
The German question
When Ilkay Gundogan came crashing down in the first half of Germany’s game against France, it appeared certain that the veteran had suffered a serious injury. After all, he went off the field in tears.
Surprisingly, examinations conducted by Barça’s medical team confirmed that he had not suffered any direct physical injury. His participation against Real Betis, in theory, was possible despite the scare.
The cards are now in Xavi Hernandez’s hands and it remains to be seen how the Spanish tactician opts to deal them.
Pedri’s unavailability leaves Barcelona without a creator-in-chief on the field unless Gundogan plays. There is, needless to say, a strong case to deploy the German star. Yet, it would be advisable to tread the road of caution with him and rest him for one match day.
If Gundogan is fielded, he would join Frenkie de Jong and Oriol Romeu in the middle of the park with Gavi playing as a left-winger.
If the manager opts to rest the new signing, Gavi will likely play in midfield with Joao Felix or Ferran Torres featuring in the winger role.
Time to rotate
Xavi to rotate against Real Betis? (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)
After two weeks off, Barcelona will be back in action this weekend. The game against Real Betis will be the first for the…
Source link : https://barcauniversal.com/three-talking-points-ahead-of-barcelona-vs-real-betis-la-liga/
Author : Adithya Eshwarla
Publish date : 2023-09-15 17:54:51
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