If there was one thing that Barça was strong at last season, it was in the matches after the international breaks. In the four games that Xavi’s team played after Spain national team played, the Catalans took 10 of the 12 possible points, beating Betis , Athletic and Las Palmas and drawing against Rayo. After the first international break last September, Barça achieved two consecutive 5-0 wins against Betis and Antwerp and then managed an epic comeback against Celta at the Montjuïc. In recent seasons, Barça have only lost twice in recent seasons after returning from international commitments. That’s the good part. The bad part is that they are facing Girona.🔴⚪️ GIRONA vs BARCELONA 🔵🔴Last two games between these sides have had a total of 12 goals. 🍿 pic.twitter.com/c3Q4koh7IT— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) September 15, 2024 The new participant in the Champions League and a surprise team in last year’s La Liga has been lethal against Barca. The team from Montilivi Stadium lost their top scorer, Ukraine’s Artem Dovbyk, who joined Roma, while Savinho went to Manchester City and García moved to Bayer Leverkusen. Despite these departures, they’ve had a solid start to the season, with seven points from four rounds and currently sit in seventh place.Celebration at Camp Nou: Dembele is finally paid offRelations between the two clubs are good, with no tension. Eric García, Oriol Romeu, Pau Víctor, Pablo Torre, and Abel Ruiz all once played for Barça but are now at Girona. The chairman of Girona’s board is Pere Guardiola, brother of Pep Guardiola, the former Barcelona coach and now manager of Manchester City. Gut despite all that, Girona beat Barcelona twice last season, scoring eight goals against Marc-André ter Stegen. Both matches ended 4-2. Even in the season before, Barça failed to beat their neighbors at Camp Nou (0-0), which gives the Spanish vice-champions extra motivation to break the Montilivi curse.Young Yamal has just two wishes, and both prove how great he isThe winning team remains unchanged, with Hansi Flick sticking with Lewandowski, Yamal, and Raphinha in attack. Returning to the club after spells at Dinamo Zagreb and RB Leipzig, Dani Olmo has earned a spot just behind the attacking trio. Pedri and Casado will hold the midfield. However, Barça still has several injuries. Missing are Gavi, Araújo, Christensen, Ansu Fati, Frenkie de Jong, Bernal, and Fermín López. Hansi Flick’s team looks excellent so far. Raphinha is in the form of his life (three goals and two assists), Robert Lewandowski remains a goal-scoring machine even at 36, and Lamine Yamal is emerging as a new global star. The 7-0 win over Valladolid before the international break signaled that Barça is back to playing high-scoring football, unlike Xavi’s team over the past two years, which wasn’t as prolific.LA LIGA – MATCHDAY 5Friday Betis – Leganes 2-0 (0-0)/Ezzalzouli 74, Roque 86/Saturday Mallorca – Villarreal 1-2 (0-1)/Albiol 57 og – Costa 27, Perez 90+4/Espanyol – Alaves 3-2 (1-1)/Puado 21, 56, 63 pen – Conechny 35, Tenaglia 68/Sevilla – Getafe 1-0 (1-0)/Navas 23/Real Sociedad – Real Madrid 0-2 (0-0)/Vinicius Jr 58 pen, Mbappe 75 pen/Sunday 15.00: (1.70) Celta (3.80) Valladolid (5.60)17.15: (4.10) Girona (3.70) Barcelona (1.85)19.30: (4.00) Las Palmas (3.50) Ath.Bilbao (2.05)22.00: (1.35) Atl.Madrid (4.80) Valencia (10.0)Monday 22.00: (2.25) Rayo Vallecano (3.20) Osasuna (3.70)***odds are subject to change***
