It could be an emotional night at the Spotify Camp Nou with one of its most decorated sons, Gerard Piqué, announcing his sudden retirement during midweek. This will be his final home game, and that should be reason enough to spur Barcelona, who ended their disappointing Champions League campaign with a 4-2 away win in Plzeň on Tuesday with boss Xavi quick to announce that “the objective is to win the Europa League”. Whilst that target will have to wait until the new year, winning the next two games before the winter break is crucial for Barça to stay in touch with La Liga (LL) leaders Real Madrid, who have a single-point lead over the Catalans ahead of this round of fixtures.
A win will extend an impressive 11-game league sequence where the only blip was a loss to Madrid, so Barcelona will have little reason to be fearful when Almería visit. The hosts have won their seven previous home H2Hs, scoring 3.43 goals per game whilst keeping five clean sheets, and another defensive masterclass might be around the corner as the Catalans are yet to concede at home this league campaign (W5, D1).
Mid-table Almería are hovering closer to the relegation zone but can’t be taken lightly, arriving on the back of three wins across five games (L2). Each of those victories saw the Andalusians score three times which represents a real uptick in goalscoring form considering they had not previously managed three goals in a league game since May.
That might inspire goalscoring confidence, but victory remains a herculean task, highlighted by visiting manager Rubi’s personal record versus Barcelona (L6). To make matters worse, Almería are winless away from home this league campaign (D1, L5) including five straight defeats. This forms part of a 13-game winless league away run (D1, L12) that is inching closer to their longest-ever such top-flight run (15) and poses questions over the team’s credentials at this level.
Players to watch: Rested for the midweek European game, Robert Lewandowski could be geared up to add to his 13 LL goals which have arrived in nine wins. Meanwhile, Gonzalo Melero scored Almería’s last away goal and has netted a joint-personal high two league goals against Barcelona.
Hot stat: No side has opened the scoring more often than Barcelona (ten) in this league campaign, with each occasion resulting in a win.
