Barcelona Vs Leganes Prediction: Blaugrana Ready To Rise At The Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys

Pedri Gonzales, again became the focus of Barcelona (photo: x @ Pedri)

JAKARTA Barcelona will resume their campaign in La Liga by hosting Leganes at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Sunday night, December 15. This match is an opportunity for Hansi Flick's men to return to winning ways after the league's unsatisfactory results in recent weeks.

Barcelona are currently at the top of the La Liga standings with 38 points from 17 matches, two points ahead of Real Madrid who have one game less. On the other hand, Leganes is struggling at the bottom, ranking 17th with just 15 points from 16 matches.

Barcelona went through the 2024/25 season with several challenges, but overall they impressed. Hansi Flick's men showed solid performance in Europe with an important 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund in the middle of the week. The win put Barcelona in second place in the Champions League group, only three points adrift of Liverpool.

Di La Liga, meskipun menjadi tim dengan serangan terbaik dengan torehan 50 gol, Barcelona mengalami penurunan performa di liga domestik. Mereka hanya memenangkan satu dari lima pertandingan terakhir, termasuk hasil draw 2-2 melawan Real Betis pekan lalu. Gol Ferran Torres di menit-tin akhir hampir memastikan kemenangan, tetapi Assane Diao mencetak gol penebangan di detik-second terakhir pertandingan.

For Leganes, this season is their first season back in the highest caste since 2019/20. With the status of the promotion team, staying in La Liga has become a big achievement for Borja Jimenez's squad. Currently, they are right above the relegation zone with three wins, six draws, and seven defeats.

However, Leganes had quite an interesting record when playing away. They managed to hold the opponent to a draw five times from eight away games this season. However, in terms of meeting history, Leganes has only won once from nine matches against Barcelona, namely in September 2018.

Barcelona is still without two key players, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Marc Bernal, who are absent due to long-term injuries. However, there is good news with Ronald Araujo's return to the squad. The Uruguayan defender was on the bench against Borussia Dortmund and is expected to appear as a starter for the first time this season.

In addition, Ansu Fati and Andreas Christensen have returned to full training and are likely to be on the cast list for the match against Leganes. Meanwhile, Raphinha, who had doubts over fitness problems after the match against Dortmund, will certainly be fit and will be a mainstay in attack with Robert Lewandowski.

With the return of some important players, Hansi Flick has many options to rotate his team. Frenkie de Jong, Gavi, and Fermin Lopez are expected to start the match off the bench, giving Pedri and Dani Olmo the opportunity to lead midfield.

In the Leganes camp, coach Borja Jimenez was unable to field injured Darko Brasanac, Dani Raba, and Enrique Franquesa. In addition, Valentin

Despite the poor result of 0-3 against Real Sociedad last week disappointing, Jimenez is not expected to make much changes to his line-up. However, Munir El Haddadi, a former Barcelona player, will most likely appear as a starter on the right side of the attack. Juan Cruz could also get a place at the starting XI replacing Diego Garcia.

Miguel de la Fuente will remain a mainstay on the front lines as the main striker, while defensive midfielder Renato Tapia and Yvan Neyou will be tasked with maintaining the balance of the game.

Barcelona will rely on attacking games to suppress Leganes from the start of the match. With Robert Lewandowski as the spearhead, assisted by Pedri's creativity and Raphinha's speed, Barcelona has all the tools to control the game. Araujo's return will also strengthen the back line, providing a sense of security for the midfield and front to be more flexible in attack.

However, Leganes is not without chances. Despite being in the lower zone, they were able to show solid performance in away matches. Defense discipline and quick counter-attack became Leganes' main weapon, especially with Munir's experience of knowing Barcelona's style of play.

Leganes also have record goals in six of their nine meetings against Barcelona, suggesting they have the ability to threaten the Blaugrana defense.

Playing in front of its own supporters, Barcelona are seeded to win this game. However, with an inconsistent performance in the league, Hansi Flick's men must be wary of the surprises Leganes might give.

Estimated Lineup Of Players

Barcelona: Pena; Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Balde; Casado, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski

Leganes: Dmitrovic; Alti, Gonzalez, Nastasic, Hernandez; Tapia, Neyou; Munir, Rodriguez, Cruz; De la Fuente

Final Prediction: Barcelona 3-1 Leganes