Barcelona lock horns with local rivals Girona later today in the Catalan derby and will hope to extend their lead at the top of the La Liga standings.
The Blaugrana head into the game on the back of a crucial 1-0 victory over Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals and will be aiming to build on their good run of form against their neighbours. More so, considering that Real Madrid face a tough assignment tomorrow against Real Sociedad.
After today’s Catalan derby, Barcelona will not have much time between their next game as they are penned in to face Real Betis at Estadio Benito Villamarin on Wednesday night.
And, as many as three Barça stars are facing the risk of being suspended for the trip to Seville to face Manuel Pellegrini’s side.
Indeed, Ronald Araujo, Sergio Busquets and Ousmane Dembele are all currently on four yellow cards in La Liga this season and another booking today against Girona could see them get suspended for the away game against Real Betis next week.
Such a scenario would be a major blow for Barcelona given how well the trio has been playing recently.
Araujo has been a wall at the back for the Blaugrana since returning from his injury, while Busquets is enjoying a strong run of form in recent matches, especially when playing alongside Frenkie de Jong.
Meanwhile, Dembele is going through his best phase as a Barcelona player and put in one of his finest displays against Sociedad in the cup tie earlier this week.
So, losing any of them for a tricky visit to Real Betis could be a blow for Xavi Hernandez’s men. On the bright side, Barcelona will recover Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres for the trip to Benito Villamarin, as they are set to complete their three-match ban.