Barcelona vs Almeria Full Match 2023-24

Barcelona couldn’t hold on to their lead as they drew 1-1 with Valencia on Saturday in La Liga (LL), extending their winless run to three matches in all competitions (D1, L2). They sit third in the table heading into this round of fixtures and desperately need a victory before the Christmas break to revive their hopes of landing consecutive LL titles for the first time since 2018/19.

Hugely inconsistent across their last 11 league games (W5, D4, L2), playing Almería could perhaps help Barça end the year on a high, as they have only lost one of the last 16 H2Hs (W13, D2), although that solitary defeat came in most recent meeting. A 4-2 loss to Girona in their last home outing again underlined that the hosts aren’t invincible, or even convincing at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, as that loss to their Catalan neighbours followed six home league matches that saw a slender one-goal winning margin (W5, L1).

Almería are coming off a 0-0 draw against Mallorca last Sunday, a result which keeps them bottom of the table (D5, L12) as they remain the only LL side yet to win this season. Yet, two draws and two defeats by a single goal across their last four league games suggest the visitors here are perhaps close to breaking their victory drought.

Whether the Andalusians can get that first precious win at Barcelona seems questionable, especially considering each of their eight previous visits to the Spanish giants ended in defeat, with six of those even seeing them fail to score. Current form also suggests the bookies have got this one right, as Almería have been defeated in their last seven league away trips, although they may at least fancy their chances of getting on the scoresheet, having netted in five of those games.

Players to watch: It was a weekend of contrasts for João Félix, who got his first away goal for Barcelona in an encounter which also marked the first instance of Xavi’s men dropping points when he had netted (W4) this season. Sergio Arribas is Almería’s most likely threat, with the attacker’s last four league goals drawing his team level.

Hot stat: No LL side had scored more than Barcelona’s 11 goals beyond the 80th minute at the completion of the previous round, while Almería have conceded nine during the same period.