After the La Liga win at Las Palmas last night, and heading into the Copa Del Rey clash at Barbastro on Sunday, FC Barcelona manager Xavi said his side should not be written off in the league title race.
“Of course,” Xavi responded in his postgame presser when asked if his side can defend their league title this season.
Copa Del Rey FYIs
FC Barcelona at Barbastro
Kickoff: Sun. Jan. 7, 9pm, Gminny Stadion Sportowoy, Huesca, Spain
Barca Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
European football book authored by The Sports Bank Founder Paul M. Banks: go here
Fun Fact: Barça have won 15 points from losing positions in La Liga this season, second only to Girona (19 points)
“Girona [won] in the last minute, Madrid in the 80th minute from a corner and us in the last moment with a penalty. There are arguments for Barça to win La Liga, the first being that we are the reigning champions, so [give some] respect to the reigning champions.”
“Did you see this week’s games in LaLiga? It’s hard for everyone to win in this league.”
Well, we’ll save the talk about the title race for another day. For now, let’s focus on what first team might lead Barca into the Copa Del Rey round of 16 on Sunday.
A first team appearance for new signing Vitor Roque could be in the cards. We predict the teenage Brazilian striker will be in the first team.
FC Barcelona Starting XI Prediction at Barbastro (Copa Del Rey)
Inaki Pena; Hector Fort, Andreas Christensen, Jules Kounde, Alejandro Balde; Fermin Lopez, Oriol Romeu, Sergi Roberto; Ferran Torres, Vitor Roque, Joao Felix
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.