Xavi Hernández bets on Eric Garcia and Ansu Fati in the eleven to face Girona tonight at the Camp Nou. The Catalan coach has opted to play with three strikers, making it possible for Fati to join Raphinha and Lewandowski up front. The other novelty will be at the back, with Eric Garcia forming a central pairing with Araújo. Koundé and Balde on the sides will complete the Blaugrana defense, while in the midfield, Busquets, Gavi and Sergi Roberto will be chosen.
After the debacle in the Copa del Rey, losing out in the semifinals against Real Madrid, Barça wants to restore the enthusiasm of the fans with a win over Girona that would leave the madridistas at 15 points, a practically insurmountable distance and that would allow the of Xavi Hernández to win the League title.
“We can leave them at 15 points. We can not fail. We are having an extraordinary League and we can take one more step. Madrid's defeat motivates us even more to seek victory", the man from Terrassa pointed out in the previous one.
For his part, Míchel will once again rely on the same eleven players with whom they managed to beat Espanyol (2-1) on the last day, with Oriol Romeu guiding the midfield and Taty Castellanos as the most advanced footballer.
In the first round game, Girona opted for a very defensive approach, but they did not avoid defeat thanks to a goal from Pedri in minute 61. "Beating Barça in their field is difficult but not impossible. We have to have personality" , warned Míchel before visiting the Camp Nou.
This is Barça's eleven to receive Girona: Ter Stegen; Koundé, Araújo, Eric Garcia, Balde; Busquets, Gavi, Sergi Roberto; Raphinha, Lewandowski and Ansu Fati.
This is Girona's eleven to visit Camp Nou: Gazzaniga; Arnau, Santi Bueno, David López, Javi Hernández; Oriol Romeu; Iván Martín, Borja García, Toni Villa, Tsygankov; and Taty Castellanos.
