Barcelona vs Eibar match preview and predictions for Tuesday’s LaLiga match. Read on for the head-to-head, team news and predicted lineups as the Catalan giants aim to end a bad year on a positive note.
- DATE: Tuesday 29th December 2020
- KICK-OFF: 19:15 (local time)
- VENUE: Camp Nou
- COMPETITION: LaLiga
Barcelona vs Eibar Preview
Barcelona’s first match post Christmas sees them play host to struggling Eibar at Camp Nou. This should be a relatively routine home match for Ronald Koeman’s men but this has been a very difficult year for the Catalan club and they won’t be taking anything for granted having already dropped as many home points this season as they did in the whole of last.
The hosts do though come into this game following one of their most convincing displays of the season. Koeman switched it up and went three at the back as Barcelona travelled to Real Valladolid and the system worked as the Catalans ran out comfortable 3-0 winners with goals from Clement Lenglet, Martin Braithwaite and Leo Messi.
The Argentine won’t feature here having been given an extended Christmas break in which he gave another revealing interview with fresh criticism reserved for Josep Bartomeu. While he also mentioned a desire to play in the USA, significantly he did state that he was happy under Koeman and certainly in a better place than he was in the summer. That will raise hopes that the incoming board may be able to convince him to stay at Camp Nou beyond the summer of 2021.
Eibar meanwhile are more interested in ensuring they stay in LaLiga beyond this season. Their hopes of doing that were damaged by a 2-1 defeat against local rivals Alaves last time out and they come into this game just one point and one place above the relegation zone.
However on a more positive note for the Basques, they have been mostly travelling well this season and have got some great results in some unexpected places. They’ve already gone to Sevilla and Betis and won this season, and their average of 1.57 points per away game is actually significantly better than what Barcelona have managed to accumulate.
Read all our LaLiga match previews here!
Head to Head
- Last 6 Competitive Meetings: 5 Barcelona Wins, 1 Draw.
- Eibar have only take one point from their 12 league meetings with Barcelona.
- That came in a 2-2 draw in May 2019.
- They’ve conceded 3+ goals on all 6 previous visits to Camp Nou.
Team News
Leo Messi has been rested by Barcelona while Jordi Alba is suspended. They are likely to revert to a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 here.
Cote is Eibar’s only definite injury absentee but they have doubts over the fitness of Rober Correa, Paulo Oliveira and Sergi Enrich.
Predicted Barcelona Starting Lineup:
Ter Stegen – Firpo, Lenglet, Araujo, Dest – De Jong, Busquets, Pedri – Coutinho, Braithwaite, Griezmann (4-3-3)
Predicted Eibar Starting Lineup:
Dmitrovic – Arbilla, Bigas, Burgos, Pozo – Gil, Exposito, Diop, Inui, – Kike, Muto (4-4-2)
Barcelona vs Eibar Predictions
Score Prediction: Barcelona 2-0 Eibar
Eibar’s high press style of play isn’t really suited to frustrate Barcelona in the way the likes of Cadiz and others have done this season. While Ronald Koeman’s side will clearly miss Messi, they have other players who may just relish the extra responsibility and we should see the likes of Antoine Griezmann and Phillippe Coutinho step up and provide the quality needed to get the job done.
Barcelona vs Eibar Betting Tips (18+)
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