No Neymar as Barcelona travel to Eibar

Image
IANS Barcelona
Last Updated : Mar 05 2016 | 4:22 PM IST

Catalan football giants Barcelona head coach Luis Enrique will make at least one change as his side looks to maintain its record unbeaten run of games away against Eibar in La Liga on Sunday afternoon.

Barcelona visit the tiny Ipurua Stadium, which has a capacity of just over 5,000 without Brazilian striker Neymar, who is suspended after completing a cycle of bookings during Barcelona's 5-1 win away over Rayo Vallecano on Thursday night, reports Xinhua.

Enrique has options as he looks to replace Neymar alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, with Arda Turan, who scored his first league goal for the club against Rayo, an option, although it looks as if Munir will finally get the nod.

Suarez goes into the game without a goal in his last three matches, but he has netted 25 league goals this season and hit the post three times in recent games. Messi on the other hand scored a hat-trick in Vallecas and has scored 20 goals in all competitions since the turn of the year.

Barcelona will go into their game knowing what Real Madrid have done in their game against Celta Vigo, although with the Whites starting the weekend 12 points behind them. It seems obvious Zinedine Zidane's side has no options of winning the league and that Barcelona's only rivals are Atletico Madrid, who play away against Valencia when Barcelona's game finishes.

Eibar receive Barcelona in eighth place in the table and with 36 points, meaning they are virtually safe from relegation, but also in danger of seeing any chance of playing in Europe next season escape them as they are five points behind Athletic Club Bilbao, who are in seventh.

Eibar coach Jose Luis Mendilibar has commented that a win for his side, which has the smallest budget in the La Liga would be "great for football," and his side will look to take advantage of what are likely to be difficult conditions on their small pitch after a weekend where heavy rain and strong winds are forecast and could make life complicated for Barcelona's star players.

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Mar 05 2016 | 4:10 PM IST

Next Story