Barcelona vs Girona, La Liga: Match Thread, Live Updates
FULL-TIME, Barcelona 0-0 Girona: A very disappointing attacking performance from Barça, who could have easily lost and didn’t deserve anything from the game. They’re now 13 points clear at the top of the table with 10 minutes to go which is the only bit of good news from this one, but the team’s showing left a whole lot to be desired.
SECOND HALF KICKOFF! Barcelona 0-0 Girona: And we’re back underway at Camp Nou!
HALFTIME, Barcelona 0-0 Girona: A hard-fought, intense first half at Camp Nou with good moments in attack for both sides. Barça had the better chances but are lacking composure and precision in the final third, and they need to be more clinical to get the winning goals in the second half.
KICKOFF! Barcelona 0-0 Girona: And we’re underway at Camp Nou!
WELCOME TO THE SPOTIFY CAMP NOU!!! The Greatest Stadium on Earth is the site of another Barcelona La Liga match as the Blaugrana welcome Girona for a Catalan derby looking to effectively end the title race. Barça will go 15 points clear with 10 games to go and take a giant step towards the trophy with a win, but it won’t be easy against a young, dangerous team that will love to spoil Barça’s party at home. This should be fun, and you’re welcome to join us to follow and comment all the action. Vamos!
(Note: the comments will be open only when the team news come out, because our commenter people love commenting and sometimes there are too many comments in the comments section)
LINEUPS
BARCELONA
Starting XI: Ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Eric, Balde; Roberto, Busquets, Gavi; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Fati (4-3-3)
Substitutes: Peña (GK), Tenas (GK), Alonso, Alba, Casadó, Kessie, Torre, Garrido, Ferran, Estanis, Alarcón
GIRONA
Starting XI: Gazzaniga; Martínez, Bueno, López, Hernández; Romeu; Tsigankov, Martín, García, Villa; Castellanos (4-1-4-1)
Substitutes: Carlos (GK), Fuidias (GK), Bernardo, Gutiérrez, Fernández, Juanpe, Couto, García, Riquelme, Artero, Stuani
MATCH INFO
Competition/Round: 2022-23 La Liga, Matchday 28
Date/Time: Monday, April 10, 2023, 9pm CET (Barcelona), 8pm BST/WAT (UK & Nigeria), 3pm ET, 12pm PT (USA), 12.
30am IST (India, Tuesday)
Venue: Spotify Camp Nou, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz
VAR: Santiago Jaime Latre
HOW TO WATCH
On TV: ESPN Deportes (USA), SuperSport (Nigeria), Sports18 (India), Not Available (Canada, UK, Spain), others
Online: ESPN+ (USA), LaLigaTV (UK), DAZN (Spain), others
Matchday Thread Rules
We don’t have a lot of rules here, but there are a few things to keep in mind when joining our matchday threads:
Even if the referee sucks or we lose the game, watch the swearing. It’s just unnecessary. Also, don’t discuss illegal streaming links. Those who do it will be warned, and those who post links will be instantly banned. Finally, be nice to each other. This is a Barcelona community and we don’t need to offend one another.
Have fun with the game! Forever and ever, no matter the competition, VISCA EL BARÇA!
Barcelona scrapes by Atlético Madrid 1-0 to remain in firm control of La Liga title race
CNN
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cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/paragraph_B66D4DA3-A123-DDF7-8597-AE9E150CDC6C@published” data-editable=”text” data-component-name=”paragraph”>FC Barcelona scraped by Atlético Madrid 1-0 at the Camp Nou to extend its lead at the top of La Liga over eternal rival Real Madrid to 11 points.
Ferrán Torres’ goal in the 44th minute made the difference, ensuring Atlético continued its 17-year winless drought – with 8 draws and 15 losses – at the Camp Nou.
While the Blaugrana were still missing Ousmane Dembélé, Sergi Roberto and Andreas Christensen, the return of Frenkie de Jong from a hamstring strain strengthened Barça manager Xavi’s squad ahead of what was expected to be a stern test on a warm, sunny afternoon in northeastern Spain.
After his team’s 0-0 draw with Getafe in Madrid, Xavi said his team played poorly because it was “accustomed to playing without sun.”
After being derided on social media throughout the week, the Barça legend doubled down on Friday ahead of the match, saying, “Even if they make a bunch of memes about me, the sun bothers me … I’m not going to stop (complaining).”
The sunny conditions did indeed seem to be getting the better of Barça as Atlético bolted right out of the gate with Antoine Griezmann hitting the crossbar with an effort not even a minute into the match, but the ball was just centimeters too high to bounce into Marc-André ter Stegen’s net.
Antoine Griezmann was Atlético’s main offensive threat, but he was thwarted by the crossbar and Marc-André ter Stegen twice.
Quality Sport Images/Getty Images
Barça’s first real threat of the match came in the 24th minute as Robert Lewandowski played the ball through to Torres, whose dangerous cross was fortuitously deflected by Atleti keeper Jan Oblak out of the danger zone.
In the 35th minute, the Colchoneros again seemed to be gaining control of the match as the ball dropped to Griezmann whose great shot on the half-turn was brilliantly saved by ter Stegen to keep the scoreline level.
cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/paragraph_9A183AC5-9B4C-05E0-96DD-AEA1C2747952@published” data-editable=”text” data-component-name=”paragraph”>Just when Barça’s domination of possession in the first half seemed to be fruitless, the first goal materialized near the stroke of half-time. Raphinha passed the ball back into the middle of the pitch to an unmarked Torres at the top of the area, who took his time before finishing past Oblak to score Barcelona’s first goal in 334 minutes since its 4-0 victory over Elche on April 1.
But Atlético didn’t back down and pushed for an equalizer after the half-time break; Yannick Carrasco had his curving shot, which was heading towards goal, tipped over the bar in the 54th minute.
Barcelona seemed to turn its game up another notch when star midfielder Pedri made his long-awaited return from injury in the 60th minute, giving the Blaugrana a more fluid and creative attack.
Raphinha missed a sitter in the 72nd minute after Lewandowski teed him up with a brilliant cross, which almost came to haunt Barcelona as Ter Stegen was forced to make another brilliant save just one minute later to deny Griezmann’s back heel effort off a good Álvaro Morata cross into the box.
Caroline Graham Hansen of FC Barcelona celebrates with teammates after scoring the team’s first goal during the UEFA Women’s Champions League semifinal 1st leg match between Chelsea FC and FC Barcelona at Stamford Bridge on April 22, 2023 in London, England.
Steve Bardens/UEFA/Getty Images
Barcelona takes 1-0 lead over Chelsea in Women’s Champions League semifinal in front of a record-breaking crowd
READ: Vinícius Jr.
is being racially abused during LaLiga matches. Why is nobody being punished?
Atlético players clamored for a penalty in the 91st minute after a headed ball was deflected off Sergio Busquets’ arm in the area, but the video assistant referee refused to review the play.
A flurry of Barça fouls allowed several Atleti attacks in the final minutes of time added on, but the Colchoneros couldn’t make the most of the opportunities.
Oblak told reporters after the match that the wasted chances left the team ruing an otherwise a solid performance.
“The feelings we get aren’t the best. In the first half, we didn’t play badly, we were pretty good and they scored one in the last minute,” Oblak said. “In the second half, there were chances, but the feeling we have aren’t the best. We lost and we can’t say much more than that.”
“The team worked really hard, the crowd supported us and we won,” goalscorer Torres told reporters after the match. “The win gives us a lot of confidence. Atlético was on a good run of form and it’s important for us to have won this match.”
The win means Barcelona remains in firm control in the La Liga title race with eight matches remaining and an 11-point lead ahead of Real Madrid.
After the match, Pedri told reporters that Barça has “eight finals left” and that the Blaugrana “have to go match by match,” with Xavi adding that it was an important win towards securing the title against a strong team.
“We normally don’t concede very much, but Atlético is on an extraordinary run of form lately and that shows you the state of our team. It’s a crucial victory for us,” the manager said.
La La Liga: Spanish Championship returns non-stop | Articles
The Spanish Football Championship, which resumes on June 11 with the Seville derby, is preparing many surprises for the fans.
After a three-month hiatus, the players will come to the tournament restart in a different form, which will lead to an abundance of goals and unexpected results. The legends of La Liga told Izvestia about this. The remaining 11 rounds of the team will play in 38 days, and the calendar is designed in such a way that the whole month matches will be held daily.
Non stop games
Following the German Bundesliga, the second European top league returns. The Spanish La Liga will start the five-week marathon with one of the country’s most principled derbies: Sevilla-Betis. True, the players are unlikely to be able to feel the whole spirit of this event. As in Germany, La Liga games will be played without fans. But if the incidence in Spain drops sharply, then, perhaps, as early as July, spectators will be allowed to some matches. In the meantime, with the help of modern technology, La Liga will try to recreate the noise of the stands in the stadiums.
“The leadership of La Liga will closely monitor the spread of the threat of COVID-19,” Fernando Sanz, the head of La Liga ambassadors, ex-president of Malaga, said in an interview with Izvestia. – If everything goes according to the best scenario, then I admit that we will be able to let a certain number of fans into the last rounds with a strict verification protocol. I can’t even give an approximate figure right now, but if we fill even a third of the stadium, it will be great and will be of great help to start the 2020/21 season as usual.
La Liga has done a great job to resume the tournament, and this is a big step towards returning people to normal life, ex-captain of Valencia and the Spanish national team Gaizka Mendieta told Izvestia.
Preciados street decorated to celebrate the resumption of La Liga games in Madrid
Photo: Global Look Press/Mutsu Kawamori/AFLO
– It is clear that the sports industry has suffered great losses, but ordinary people who are used to watching football at least twice a week have also suffered.
Until they can come to the stadium, but they will satisfy their hunger by watching the broadcasts on TV, given the abundance of matches waiting for us in June-July , he explained.
The championship should end on July 19th. So far, the calendar for the next four rounds is ready, but, according to media reports, La Liga intends to play matches every day for a month – from June 11 to July 12.
– I think that we are in for an uncompromising struggle and an abundance of goals, – the best player of the 2010 World Cup, former Atletico forward Diego Forlan shared with Izvestia. – The teams resumed full-fledged training only at the beginning of June and in less than two weeks they were unlikely to be able to establish game interactions. Still, a break of three months is very serious . Therefore, at least in the starting rounds, all players will have different physical readiness. This can lead to extremely unexpected results and very high-scoring matches. The example of the restart of the Bundesliga only confirms this.
Players will be tested for COVID-19 before every game. Their contacts outside the field will also be limited.
La Liga Barcelona vs Real Madrid 2020
Photo: REUTERS/Albert Gea
“These restrictions are dictated by the circumstances, and the players should treat them with understanding,” said Steve McManaman, two-time winner of the Champions League and the Spanish Championship with Real Madrid. “While everyone was in quarantine and was forced to take a breath, doctors came to the fore. These are the main characters of today, thanks to their work seven days a week, we can again watch football on TV. Therefore, out of respect for their work, everyone must follow the rules and survive this difficult period. Football will help. The Bundesliga has resumed, the Spanish clubs will play every day, the Italian Serie A starts a little later. I hope that we will see the decisive matches of the Champions League – 2019/20. Football players are some of the strongest athletes in the world.
I hope that after the restart there will be no mass diseases and all tournaments will be played according to the new schedule.
The fate of the Champions League will be decided on June 17-18 at a meeting of the UEFA Executive Committee.
In Germany, the matches of the national football championship have resumed, interrupted more than two months ago due to the coronavirus pandemic. Although the rules of the game have not changed, many things in the stadiums now look unusual. How sports games are held in the era of the post-pandemic – in the Izvestia photo gallery
Photo: REUTERS/Pool/Sascha Schuermann
Cologne and Mainz met behind closed doors. In order not to play in front of empty stands, Cologne called on their fans to share shirts and scarves, which they gladly did
Photo: REUTERS/Pool/Lars Baron
2-0, beat Mainz. The result of the meeting is 2:2
Photo: REUTERS/Pool/Lars Baron
Borussia Mönchengladbach plays with the support of its Pappkameraden
Photo: Getty Images/Borussia Moenchengladbach/Christian Verheyen
For a small fee, about $20, the team’s fans were offered to visit the stadium in the form of a photo and even choose their own seat.
There was no end to those who wanted to – the organizers received more than 8 thousand orders
Photo: Getty Images / Borussia Moenchengladbach / Christian Verheyen
As a result, Eintracht lost to Borussia Mönchengladbach and its Pappkameraden
Photo: Global Look Press /Pool/Jan Huebner
Balls must be disinfected during all matches
Photo: Global Look Press/Pool/dpa/Axel Heimken Walls and « Hoffenheim – at the home stadium “Rhein-Neckar-Arena” in Sinsheim, he lost to “Hertha” with a score of 0:3
Photo: REUTERS/Pool/Thomas Kienzle
Real Madrid favourites?
The gap between the giants of La Liga – “Barcelona” and “Real” – from competitors is quite impressive. Third-placed Sevilla are 11 points behind the leader. The difference between the favorites is two points in favor of the Catalan club. True, Quique Sentien’s team is experiencing serious problems and is unlikely to retain leadership until the last round.
There are not many players left in the Catalan squad, given that due to financial problems in the winter, the club was forced to part with four players at once. Also, a number of key midfielders are likely to leave the team in the summer. We are talking about Artur, Ivan Rakitic and Arturo Vidal. This obviously will not add peace to the team in the locker room. In addition, it is not clear what form forwards Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele will be in when they recover from serious injuries.
– Barcelona really have enough problems both on and off the field, said Gaiska Mendieta, who played for the Catalan club. – Change of head coach during the season, salary cuts, a lot of rumors around important players in recent months … All this cannot go unnoticed. For sure, Sentien’s team will lose points in the remaining 11 matches. Whether Real Madrid will take advantage of this, we will find out very soon. Based on the first matches, it will already be possible to draw some conclusions.
FC Barcelona players Arturo Vidal and Ivan Rakitic during the 2019/20 Champions League match 2020
Photo: Global Look Press/Keystone Press Agency/Lm/Fabrizio Carabelli/Ipa
in turn, has a much longer bench and can count on all of its leaders, including Eden Hazard and Gareth Bale . Also, the rest of the season, Madrid will not play at the main Santiago Bernabeu stadium, but at the reserve arena, which is located at the base of the club. This may give an additional advantage to the “Royal Club”, given that the players thoroughly know this lawn.
– I think that the struggle between Real Madrid and Barcelona will continue until the last round, but I prefer Madrid, – said Steve McManaman. They have a lighter calendar. Barça still have meetings with Sevilla and Atlético. Plus Real Madrid have a longer bench and that could help if there are a lot of injuries. Alas, after such a break, injuries may increase. At the same time, do not forget that the Catalans have Messi, who alone is able to decide the outcome of matches.
A lot will also depend on its shape.
Russian trace
Russian fans will be interested in watching Celta forward Fedor Smolov and Valencia midfielder Denis Cheryshev. For Smolov, these will be decisive 11 matches, following which the bosses of the club from Vigo must decide whether to buy the player from Lokomotiv or not. So far, in six meetings, the Russian has scored one goal – against Real Madrid (2: 2).
“I liked how Smolov started playing for Celta,” Diego Forlan told Izvestia. “He is a powerful striker with good technique. Yes, while he is probably not as productive as the fans would like, but before the end of the season he may well prove his worth. Still, this is an experienced player who played for the national team and in the Champions League. In the future, their duet with Iago Aspas can be very effective. If they play well, they will keep Celta in La Liga.
Fedor Smolov (centre) celebrating a goal during a La Liga match between Celta Vigo and Real Madrid, 2020
Photo: Global Look Press/Keystone Press Agency/AFP7
Smolov’s team is currently in 17th place with 26 points.
You can’t go any lower – 18-20 teams will leave the elite.
Denis Cheryshev has been playing for Valencia since 2018. His contract runs until June 30, 2022, but according to Spanish media, the club is ready to consider offers for him this summer. Earlier it was reported that Zenit and Lokomotiv were interested in the midfielder’s services.
– Cheryshev is a graduate of Real Madrid, spent his entire career in La Liga, Gaiska Mendieta recalled. – He has been playing at a consistently high level for a long time and, if not for the injury, he could have achieved more. But what is, is. I think he will help Valencia in the remaining games. And what will happen in the summer is a big question. It largely depends on who will be the head coach of the team.
After 27 rounds, Valencia are seventh in the league and can still fight for the Champions League. Four points separate Albert Celades’ team from fourth place.
SEE ALSO
Expert forecast for the Barcelona-Valencia match October 17 – Company news
- Company news
October 17 Barcelona will play with Valencia in the 9th round of the championship of Spain.
The meeting will begin at 22:00 Moscow time. Venue: Camp Nou Stadium. According to the analysts of the betting company Fonbet, “Blaugrana” is the clear favorite of the match. You can bet on her victory for 1.52. The success of the “bats” is estimated at 6.30.
Barcelona
Barcelona failed to start the 2021/22 season. By the 9th round, the Catalans are in 9th place, with only 12 points out of 27 possible, they have a game in hand. Barça’s attack without Messi is becoming more and more primitive, coming down to crosses. The team is often difficult to rebuild as the game progresses, and it becomes increasingly easier for its opponents to adapt to such a Barcelona. In the last four matches in the championship, the Catalans lost points even with Granada (1:1) and Cadiz (0:0). The last meeting of “Barcelona” in La Liga ended in a defeat from Madrid “Atletico” (0:2), the Catalans inflicted only 2 shots on target.
Valencia
Valencia are in 8th place with 12 points, in 8 rounds the Valencians have 3 wins, 3 draws and only 2 losses.
The backlog of Pepe Bordalas’ team from the top 5 is 2 points, the gap from Barcelona from the 9th line is only in additional indicators. One of the objectives of Bordalas was to strengthen the defense of the Valencians, who conceded 53 goals last season. So far, he is doing well: 8 goals conceded in 8 rounds, only in 2 of them the Valencians conceded more than 1 goal.
Forecast and bet on the match “Barcelona” – “Valencia” October 17
Valencia’s victory with a handicap (+1) – 2.00
Barcelona is falling apart in recent matches, with each match under Ronald Koeman, its crisis becomes more and more noticeable. An attack that lacks ideas, failures in important matches and unstable defense (only 2 clean sheets out of 8 in La Liga) are far from all the problems of the Catalans. In the last six meetings in all tournaments, they won only once. In such a situation, the bet on the victory of the Valencians with a handicap in the upcoming match does not look unexpected.