Blaugrana are now occupying third spot in the standings, having collected 35 points from 17 games, nine adrift of leaders Girona, while the visitors are languishing at the bottom of the table, with just five points to their name.
Follow Us
Barcelona will be desperate to get back to winning ways when they play host to struggling Almeria in a La Liga fixture at Estadio Olimpic Lluis Companys on Wednesday. The hosts are heading into the match on the back of a 1-1 draw away to Valencia on Sunday, while Indalicos played out a goalless draw against Mallorca last time out. Blaugrana are now occupying third spot in the Spanish top flight standings, having collected 35 points from 17 games, nine adrift of leaders Girona, while the visitors are languishing at the bottom of the table, with just five points to their name, eight away from safety.
🔊 Xavi: “We have improved our play, but we need to win games. We play at home, we need the fans, and we must play a complete game.” #BarçaAlmería pic.twitter.com/QC499VHOk6
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) December 19, 2023
Barcelona were forced to share the spoils against Valencia at Mestalla on Sunday despite taking the lead through Joao Felix’s 55th-minute opener. Blaugrana are now winless in three games across all competitions, having suffered back-to-back defeats against the likes of Royal Antwerp and Girona in the Champions League and La Liga respectively earlier this month. Xavi’s men have recorded ten top flight wins this term and their last success came against Atletico Madrid on December 3. Having now won three, drawn two and lost two of their last seven games, a lack of consistency is harming the reigning champions as they are now nine away from the summit. The mid-week fixture against the rock bottom side provides a perfect opportunity for Xavi’s side to spark an upturn in fortunes.
Almeria, on the other hand, haven’t tasted a victory since a 2-0 success over lower division side CF Talavera in the Copa del Rey towards the end of October. Indalicos lost five and drawn two of their last seven outings in all competitions. Meanwhile, they have failed to win any of their 17 league games so far. Gaizka Garitano, who replaced Vicente Moreno in October, saw his side claim just their fifth point of the campaign at the weekend when they played out a 0-0 draw with Mallorca. Meanwhile, on a positive note, Almeria secured a narrow 1-0 win in their last encounter against Barcelona back in February last season thanks to El Bilal Toure’s first-half effort at Estadio de los Juegos Mediterraneos.
Barcelona probable starting lineup: Pena, Cancelo, Araujo, Kounde, Balde, Gundogan, Romeu, Pedri, Raphinha, Felix, Lewandowski
Almeria probable starting lineup: Maximiano, Montes, Gonzalez, Chumi, Pozo, Lopy, Baba, Akieme, Arribas, Embarba, Baptistao
Barcelona
| Opponents | Score |
| Valencia | 1-1 (D) |
| Antwerp | 3-2 (L) |
| Girona | 2-4 (L) |
| Atletico Madrid | 1-0 (W) |
| FC Porto | 2-1 (W) |
Almeria
| Opponents | Score |
| Mallorca | 0-0 (D) |
| Atletico Madrid | 2-1 (L) |
| Barbastro | 1-0 (L) |
| Betis | 0-0 (D) |
| Getafe | 2-1 (L) |
| Last 5 match-results | Score |
| Almeria beat Barcelona | 1-0 |
| Barcelona beat Almeria | 2-0 |
| Barcelona beat Almeria | 4-0 |
| Barcelona beat Almeria | 1-2 |
| Barcelona beat Almeria | 4-1 |
The La Liga fixture between Barcelona and Almeria will take place at Spain at Estadio Olimpic Lluis Companys on Wednesday at 11:30 pm IST.
| Barcelona vs Almeria | Key Details |
| Date | December 20 |
| Venue | Estadio Olimpic Lluis Companys |
| Kickoff time in Spain | 7:00 pm |
| Kickoff time in India | 11:30 pm |
The live telecast of the La Liga matches in India will be available on Sports 18 network. Besides, football fans in India can also live stream the game through Jio TV. Meanwhile, those in Spain can watch the match on Movistar + and M+ La Liga TV network.
More football news:
Everton vs Fulham: What kind of challenge does Marco Silva expect at Goodison Park in Carabao Cup?
