When Xavi Hernandez joined Barcelona as a coach, there was hope that he would bring back the club's fluid possession style, in which he excelled as a player. However, as the Spanish championship race has heated up, his team has instead depended on a solid defence.
Barcelona played their last league games before the Clasico at Camp Nou on March 19. It will go to Athletic Bilbao on Sunday to maintain or even increase their nine-point advantage over Real Madrid, who will host On Saturday, Espanyol.
The Catalans last won La Liga in 2019, and their approach has changed due to last summer's significant investment and the necessity to deliver results quickly.
Barcelona has kept 18 clean sheets in La Liga this season, with just eight goals allowed in 24 games.
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The latter is a better record at this point in the season than any other club in one of Europe's top five divisions has achieved in the twenty-first century.
The 2012–13 season's first 24 games saw Bayern Munich keep 17 clean sheets while giving up eight goals.
They have scored 46 goals, fewer than any other La Liga team, with 24 games remaining since Valencia in the 2001–2002 season.
But, the Catalans will have to play without Ronald Araujo at centre-back, who has been essential to their outstanding defensive achievements this year.
Last weekend against Valencia, the Uruguayan centre-back red carded for bringing down Hugo Duro as he advanced on goal.
Barcelona's 1-0 triumph, the ninth in La Liga this season with the same result, was made possible by Araujo's choice.
At the centre of the defence, alongside Andreas Christensen, the defender might be swapped out for Jules Kounde or Marcos Alonso.
Their defence has been strong enough to keep them in the title race even while they were missing playmaker Pedri, winger Ousmane Dembele, and top scorer Robert Lewandowski.
The Polish forward, who will play versus Athletic, praised the defence for their crucial role this year.
The manager of Athletic Bilbao, Ernesto Valverde, may have his own opinions on the subject of Barcelona's fashion sense.
Despite leading his side to the top of La Liga in January 2020 and winning two league championships, Valverde was fired partly due to issues with the team's lacklustre play.
Athletic, under Valverde, had a solid start to the season but recently lost steam, falling to ninth place despite, like Barcelona, reaching the Cup del Rey semifinals.
Watch Out For Enes Unal!
Enes Unal, a Turkish striker for Getafe, is the primary tool in their fight against relegation. The forward, who has five goals in his past five La Liga games, might be very important against Cadiz on Friday night in a survival game.
Key Figures
8 - Antoine Griezmann, the division's top assister, excelled for Atletico Madrid last weekend.
Kike Garcia of Osasuna has entered the game as a substitute 20 times more than any other player.
Hugo Mallo of Celta has made 300 more appearances for his team than any other player in La Liga.
Fixtures
Friday
Getafe vs. Cadiz (11pm)
Saturday
4 p.m.: Real Madrid vs. Espanyol; 6:15 p.m.: Elche vs. Real Valladolid; 8:30 p.m.: Celta Vigo vs. Rayo Vallecano; 10 p.m.: Valencia vs. Osasuna (11pm)
Sunday
Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona, Sevilla vs Almeria, Villarreal vs Real Betis, and Real Mallorca vs Real Sociedad all take place on Sunday (11 pm)
