Two clubs chasing the 2014-15 Liga BBVA title will do battle today in a league match between Barcelona and Elche. The first-division clash scheduled for 3 p.m. ET will be held at the Nou Camp in Barcelona and can be live streamed here free. Additional TV coverage can be found on beIN Sports.
Though Barcelona are heavily favored to handle business at home this afternoon, manager Luis Enrique isn't prepared to look past his opposition. "It has been a great week in terms of the team dynamic and we are going into the game in the same buoyant mood as we did before the Gamper [Trophy match against Leon]," he said (via the club's official website). "We know Elche will pose us problems because tactically and defensively they're such a well-structured unit."
"We may have high hopes for the future," Enrique added. "But we're more concerned with the present, and that means the game with Elche. We're mentally prepared for this and keen to get our league campaign off to a winning start."
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: Barcelona's Ivan Rakitic will make his competitive debut for Barcelona this afternoon. The 26-year-old averaged 2.3 key passes per match last season and finished with 10 assists as the driving force of Sevilla's midfield.
Barcelona's Projected Lineup (4-3-3): Bravo; Alba, Mathieu, Bartra, Alves; Iniesta, Busquets, Rakitic; Munir, Messi, Rafinhal
Elche's Projected Lineup (4-4-2): Tyton; Albacar, Lomban, Andia, Suarez; Fajr, Mosquera, Rodriguez, Pasalic; Coro, Jonathas
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (lineups and statistics via WhoScored).
Standings
|
Rnk |
Team |
MP |
W |
D |
L |
GF |
GA |
+/- |
Pts |
|||
|
1 |
Granada CF |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
|||
|
2 |
Málaga CF |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
|||
|
3 |
RCD Espanyol |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|||
|
3 |
Sevilla FC |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|||
|
3 |
UD Almería |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|||
|
3 |
Valencia CF |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|||
|
7 |
Atlético Madrid |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|||
|
7 |
Celta de Vigo |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|||
|
7 |
Córdoba CF |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|||
|
7 |
Eibar |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|||
|
7 |
Elche CF |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|||
|
7 |
FC Barcelona |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|||
|
7 |
Getafe CF |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|||
|
7 |
Levante UD |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|||
|
7 |
Rayo Vallecano |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|||
|
7 |
Real Madrid CF |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|||
|
7 |
Real Sociedad |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|||
|
7 |
Villarreal CF |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|||
|
19 |
Deportivo La Coruña |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
-1 |
0 |
|||
|
20 |
Athletic Club |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
-1 |
0 |
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