Three talking points as Barcelona face Leganes in La Liga | OneFootball

FC Barcelona are set to face Leganes in La Liga on Sunday. With Real Madrid dropping points against Rayo Vallecano last night, it gives the Catalan club the chance to once again establish themselves as the outright first-placed team in the Spanish top flight.

Leganes are in a relegation scrap, sitting just outside in the 17th place. They have struggled to score goals but at the same time, they are not one of the leakiest defenses going around in the Spanish top flight and could be a difficult proposition to face.

Hansi Flick’s Barcelona are coming off a buoyant 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund in a difficult away stadium and this should give them confidence going into this game. Facing Leganes at home might not be the most difficult game on paper.

With all this in mind, we at BNN bring to you three talking points for Barcelona ahead of their La Liga game against Leganes.

Three Talking Points

1. Time to rest Raphinha?

Captain Raphinha has been in incredible form so far this season. That said, the Brazilian has accumulated so many minutes under his belt and during the midweek game against Dortmund, he had to be taken off after feeling tired.

Wearing the armband in most games so far this season, Raphinha simply cannot stop scoring or assisting but Barcelona must be careful not to run him into the ground. He is arguably the team’s most important player and he needs rest.

In 23 games across all competitions this season, Raphinha has scored 17 goals and provided 10 assists. If Hansi Flick decides to rest him against Leganes, Barcelona would miss his services sorely but it could be beneficial in the long run.

The ideal decision would be to leave Raphinha on the bench, like Flick did with Robert Lewandowski against Mallorca and bring him on should the situation demand it. If not, he can take a much-deserved night off.

2. Shark-attack!

Ferran Torres can be a very frustrating player to get behind but he is enjoying an excellent run of form in recent weeks. Since his return from his injury, the Spaniard can seemingly not stop scoring and netted two important goals for Barcelona against Dortmund midweek.

Should Raphinha be rested, one would assume that Ferran is the most likely name to replace the Brazilian and start from the left against Leganes. On paper, that might be the plan but the ex-Man City forward will play very differently to the Brazilian.

All of Ferran’s recent displays have come playing as a striker and even if he lines up on the left, he is expected to keep making runs through the middle. Especially with Robert Lewandowski being shielded from the press, the Spaniard becomes even more important.

The shark has been biting consistently in recent weeks and the fans and Hansi Flick would hope there is more of the same against Leganes. Let’s wait and see how it plays out on the night.

3. Gavi needs a start

It’s been a while since Gavi returned from his long ACL-related lay-off and in all fairness, he has made a solid return. Whenever given the chance, he has performed well but obviously, it would take him time to return to his highest level.

The Golden Boy was a surprise absence against Borussia Dortmund, where he did not get minutes even off the bench. This, in all likelihood, could prompt Hansi Flick to start Gavi in midfield in place of Pedri, who could do with some rest.

Obviously, this would mean sacrificing some control, as no one handles the tempo of a game better than Pedri but Gavi needs minutes under his legs. He looked very good on his first start this season and would be hoping to build on that.

Alternatively, if Flick wants to keep Pedri and Casado as the double pivot, Gavi could get the chance to start as the number 10 in place of Dani Olmo. Let’s wait and see if Hansi Flick hands him a start tonight against Leganes.