With the league campaign reaching the end, it is up to Barcelona to put up a fight against Real Madrid and hope that they slip up in this final hurdle and hand over the Spanish La Liga title to Barca. Barcelona’s early season small falters have cost them dear, as they have been agonizingly close to Real Madrid this season, with only 3 points separating them both. Now all they can do is give their best in the final match of the season and hope that Real falter. However, they must be wary of a banana skin against Eibar, and not allow any room for complacency against the visitors.
FC BARCELONA vs. SD EIBAR
3-Way: 1: FC BARCELONA -1667; X: +1426 Draw; 2: SD EIBAR +261
Spread -3.5: FC BARCELONA +105; SD EIBAR -127
Total +5: Over: +115; Under: -141
FC BARCELONA
Barcelona has been beautiful to watch this season, as they always have been. Their wonderful build up play, along with their dangerous attackers, is a nightmare for any opponent. However, there have been a few matches this season where Barcelona has slipped up and dropped points, which has handed over the title race to Real Madrid’s hand. Now the players must rally and at least make sure that departing coach Luis Enrique has a positive farewell. That will start with the final match of the league season, and their last challenge will be the Copa Del Rey against Alaves.
Sitting at 2nd position in the Spanish La Liga table, Barcelona has collected 87 points so far, with 45 of them being in their Camp Nou. They have been in very good run of form recently, with their last 5 league games being victories. Like their arch Rivals Real Madrid, Barca’s last two games have also been 4:1 victories. First was a home win at Villareal followed by an away win by the same score line at Las Palmas. The fans are confident that their team will be able to extend this run into 6 league games.
With Messi, Neymar and Suarez Spearheading their attack, Barcelona have been striking fear into opposition defenses. The Blaugrana have scored a whooping 112 goals in the Spanish La Liga this season, out of which 60 have been at home. Not only the attack, but they also have decent, experienced backline that has conceded 35 goals in the league. 15 of those have been at home. The Catalans have also kept an impressive 13 clean sheets in the league.
Lionel Messi has been, quite unsurprisingly, the lead scorer in the team and in the Spanish La Liga, with a massive 35 goals to his name, along with 9 assists. His Partner in crime Luis Suarez is next with 28 goals scored, and he also leads the assists charts in the league with 13 assists in the league. German goalkeeper Marc Andre Ter Stegen has 13 clean sheets to his name.
Long term absentees Aleix Vidal and Rafinha will miss this game as they won’t be back until next season. Javier Mascherano and Jeremy Mathieu are both doubts for the match due to hamstring and ankle injury respectively. Barca has no suspension issues with their players, as no players have crossed the disciplinary boundary to be suspended for the match.
SD EIBAR
With the Spanish La Liga season coming to its last day, fans of Eibar can be content with what their team has achieved this season. They are assured of a middle table finish this season, as they cannot drop any lower than they are, exactly halfway through the league table. Eibar has been one of those teams that has not been very ruthless with their attacking, or very solid with their defense, but have still manage to grab a crucial point or three throughout the season. With their final league match of the season being a visit to Barcelona, fans will be hoping that the players at least try to put up a good performance, irrespective of the final result of the game.
Situated at 19th position of the Spanish La Liga table, Eibar has accumulated 54 points, and if they are able to win this match, they might even finish as high as 8th. They haven’t really been in the best of form over the last 5 league games, as their record reads 1-1-3. They have lost both of their last matches with the score line being 1:0. First they away at Atletico Madrid, where they were left ruing their missed chances, followed by a home defeat by relegated Sporting Gijon.
They possess an attack that is efficient enough to do the job, but not very prolific. They have scored 54 goals in the Spanish La Liga, with 25 of those goals being scored in front of the home fans. Their defense is the same like their attack-above average, but not very strong. Eibar have conceded 47 goals, with 26 of them being conceded at their home ground. They have also managed to keep 10 clean sheets in the league, which illustrates the fact that the players area able to keep out the opponents many a times.
Forward Sergi Enrich has been their main player going forward. He has scored the most goals and provided the most assists in the team, with 11 and 6 respectively. Winger Pedro Leon follows close by, with 10 goals to his name and 5 assists. After these players, Kike Garcia and Adrian Gonzalez are the next top scorers for the team, with 7 goals each, and both have one assist each in the league.
Eibar are devoid of four players for this match. Fran Rico ( knee injury), Takashi Inui (Personal reasons), Antonio Rodriguez (Hamstring), and Nano (thigh injury) are all out for this match. Eibar do not have any injury concerns.
FC BARCELONA vs. SD EIBAR – Match Prediction:
It is really hard to see anything other than a Barcelona victory here. Barcelona has the home ground advantage, has better and more experienced players on the team, and moreover, Barcelona would be motivated to give their manager a good farewell, by putting in a positive performance and grabbing a win, and if Real Madrid Falter, maybe even the title.
However, it is very important for the Catalans to not take this match lightly, otherwise they might falter themselves. Anyway, my pick will be a Barcelona win without conceding a goal.
MY PICK: Both teams to score NO (-102)
