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Barcelona have no time to reflect upon the latest 1-1 draw against Rayo Vallecano as the players are supposed to return to training on Sunday to prepare for the upcoming UEFA Champions League home game against FC Porto.
The Blaugrana’s 0-1 defeat at the hands of Shakhtar Donetsk has made life difficult for the team in the competition and anything but a win would be counted as a failure.
At present, Barcelona occupy the top spot after four games and nine points. Now, it must be noted that Porto have accumulated a similar tally, although the Portuguese team is only lagging due to an inferior goal difference.
Then there are Shakhtar with six points. This means if Barcelona lose or even play a draw against Porto, their fate of qualifying for the knockouts will be decided in the final matchweek.
So as the team prepares for a must-win showdown against FC Porto, here are six things that they need to work on to get a positive outcome. Bear in mind that these measures largely revolve around key players and how they perform in midweek.
Do not concede early
Barcelona are starting to gain a reputation for being a team that likes to concede an early goal. Including the recent outing against Rayo Vallecano, their opponents have taken the lead in six out of the 14 League matches played.
Barcelona have conceded the first goal more often this season. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
Teams such as Villarreal, Celta Vigo, Mallorca, Granada, Alaves, and Rayo Vallecano have consistently forced Xavi’s squad into comeback situations, some of which remained incomplete.
This includes Bryan Zaragoza’s double strike in the 1st and 29th minutes against Granada and Omorodion’s goal in the first-minute agianst Alaves. If Barcelona are to assert their authority, they must make sure not to concede the first goal.
Goalkeeper needs to be in top form
It is to be noted that during the 2022/23 season, Marc-Andre ter Stegen managed 11 clean sheets from the first 14 games. Currently,…
Source link : https://barcauniversal.com/six-things-barcelona-need-to-fix-ahead-of-porto-clash-in-the-ucl/
Author : Ash Reyna
Publish date : 2023-11-26 17:36:51
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