2023-05-23 00:36:49
Barcelona can do Espanyol a crucial favor in the fight that the parakeets are maintaining to avoid relegation. The team led by Xavi faces Valladolid this Tuesday at the José Zorrilla stadium in a duel in which nothing is at stake but in which his rival is fighting for nothing more and nothing less than to continue in the League. A culé victory would serve to recover good feelings after the defeat against Real Sociedad, but also to sink a direct rival of their city rival.
«It is the fanaticism and the rivalry between Barça and Espanyol, but we want to win. We are risking our prestige and image, so we will go out to win in Pucela. Let there be no doubt, we want to end with a good feeling,” Xavi said at the press conference prior to his team’s match against Valladolid. And it is that Barça will be judge and witness of the battle for relegation and the great beneficiary may be, what things fate has, Espanyol.
To do this, Barça will have to leave behind the doubts that the team showed in the last league game against Real. The culés did not have the intensity that they have shown in the rest of the competition and that took its toll on a vulnerable group in defense and with little bite in attack. That is now history and Xavi knows it, who will put in Pucela “the best possible team to score the three points.”
The Catalan coach will not be able to count on Pedri, Araujo, Koundé and Alarcón due to injury, while he recovers Gavi after having served the penalty for accumulating warnings. These absences will condition an eleven in which Sergi Roberto could act as a right-back and in which Xavi could repeat the 4-3-3 with the possibility that Ansu Fati or Ferran Torres have minutes at the spearhead instead of Raphinha or Dembele.
Valladolid risks life
Barça will visit a rival immersed in relegation drama at its best. Valladolid has lived an irregular season in which it seemed that they would have recovered their flight with the arrival of Pezzolano until suddenly all the ghosts have appeared again in the final stretch.
The blanquivioletas, refereeing decisions on the sidelines, have signed a plummet that has led them to add five consecutive defeats and to be third from last with three days to go. There is no margin for error and they will go out to play a real final for permanence. For this, Pezzolano will not be able to count on Sergio León, Amallah, Luis Pérez and Anuar due to injury, while he will not be able to count on Hongla either due to suspension after his expulsion against Cádiz.
-Probable alignments:
Valladolid: Masip, Olaza, El Yamiq, Javi Sánchez, Joaquín, Iván Fresneda, Kike Pérez, Monchu, Álvaro Aguado, Plata and Larin.
Barcelona: Ter Stegen, Sergi Roberto, Christensen, Marcos Alonso, Balde, Busquets, Frenkie de Jong, Gavi, Ferran Torres, Lewandowski and Ansu Fati.
Referee: César Soto Grado (La Rioja Committee).
Stadium: Jose Zorrilla
Time and TV: 10:00 p.m. Movistar LaLiga.
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