Hi community!
Excellent Saturday for Hansi Flick's team.
A big Saturday for FC Barcelona. Real Madrid drew in Pamplona and Atlético drew at the Metropolitano against Celta. This means that if Hansi Flick's men beat Rayo Vallecano at Montjuïc on Monday, they will regain the lead in La Liga, a privileged position they lost on matchday 15 after losing at home to UD Las Palmas.
https://www.lavanguardia.com/deportes/fc-barcelona/20221002/8551784/barca-nuevo-lider-liga.html
If the Blaugranas win against the Vallecas, they will have reduced the gap on Real Madrid by seven points in three games after the defeat against Espanyol and the draws against Atlético de Madrid and Osasuna, three results accompanied by controversy. The Blaugranas bitterly complained that Espanyol defender Carlos Romero was not sent off at Cornellà-el Prat for a challenge on Mbappé. Carlos Romero himself scored the winning goal for the Blaugranas in the final minutes of the match. He also scored the penalty awarded to them in the derby for Tchouaméni on Samu Lino. And in Pamplona they did it again for the sending off of Bellingham and the penalty Camavinga committed on Budimir.
Atlético de Madrid also had to play with one man less for many minutes against Celta. A careless mistake by Pablo Barrios left Diego Simeone's men with ten men in the sixth minute after a hard challenge on Pablo Durán. The expulsion led the 'colchoneros' to be cautious and not take risks. The victory made them leaders and they ended up drawing level after another penalty converted by Iago Aspas and a goal from Sorloth with ten minutes to go.
The two setbacks must be taken advantage of on Monday by a Barça that is offering magnificent sensations in this 2025 and that has left behind the bad run of play and results of the last two months of last year. It has nine wins and two draws in eleven games. It has won the Super Cup, has reached the semi-finals of the Cup and has three consecutive victories in the League, two of them with a rout: Valencia (7-1) and Sevilla (1-4).
Flick has been recovering players over the weeks and has put together a block of 16-17 players who are performing at a high level whoever plays. Coming off a clean week and not playing the next game until next Saturday in Las Palmas, it is logical that the German will not hold anything back in order to add another victory and once again attack a leadership that seemed far away after the dispute of the 20th matchday, when Barça drew in Getafe and was seven points behind Real Madrid and five behind Atlético. In four games, the situation has changed completely. Barça, who are going through a great moment, will be the leader if they beat a dangerous Rayo who are fighting to get into Europe. They will be with the same points as Real Madrid, but with a better goal average and will be one ahead of Atlético.
See You soon!
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