ESL vs BAR Dream11 Match Prediction: Bottom of the league table Espanyol will be playing hosts to league leaders FC Barcelona as the Catalans look to further extend their lead from arch-rivals Real Madrid. FC Barcelona currently has 39 points on board and has a two-point cushion from Madrid. Meanwhile, the season has been nothing short but miserable for Espanyol as they’ve secured just the 10 points from 18 games.
Match Details
Date- Sunday, January 5
Kick-Off- 1:30 AM (IST)
Venue- Cornella-El Prat
Espanyol
Esteban Granero will miss out due to suspension for the hosts, while, David Lopez is expected to feature at centre-half. Matias Vargas’s ankle sprain makes him doubtfull to start, which could provide Adria Pedros with the opportunity to play wide. Javi Lopez and Didac Vila are expected to feature as the full-backs.
FC Barcelona
Marc-Ander ter Stegan is ruled out due to a knee issue which gives Neto a rare start in at goal. Sergi Roberto is expected to come in place of Nelson Semedo for the visitors. Ivan Rakitic could feature in midfield alongside Frankie de Jong and Sergio Busquets.
ESL (Expected Playing 11)- Lopez; Vila, Calero, Espinosa, Lopez; Vargas, Roca, Lopez, Darder; Calleri, Lei
BAR (Expected Playing 11)- Neto; Roberto, Pique, Lenglet, Alba; Busquets, de Jong, Rakitic; Messi, Suarez, Greizmann
Sergi Darder will be one of the attacking options for Espanyol. Darder has two goals and a pass accuracy of 77% from 17 appearances in the league.
Lionel Messi will be the go-to-guy for Barcelona and can cause havoc in the Espanyol defence. The 32-year-old has 13 goals, six assists and a pass accuracy of 81.3% from 1081 minutes in La Liga this season.
Luis Suarez and Antonie Griezmann can also prove to be threats in the final third for Barcelona. Suarez has 10 goals, six assists and a pass accuracy of 74% from 1189 minutes, while Girezmann has seven goals, four assists and a pass accuracy of 80% from 1390 minutes in the league this season.
FC Barcelona is the clear cut favourite heading into the game.
Team 1
Goalkeeper- Neto
Defenders- J Alba, G Pique, D Lopez, L Lopez
Midfielders- F D Jong, M Roca, S Darder
Forwards- A Griezmann, L Suarez (VC), L Messi (C)
Team 2
Goalkeeper- Neto
Defenders- S Roberto, C Lenglet, B Espinosa, L Lopez
Midfielders- I Rakitic, M Roca, M Vargas
Forwards- A Griezmann (C), L Suarez, L Messi (VC)
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