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FULL-TIME, Barcelona 3-1 Leganés: One great half, one bad half, two-goal win. Valverde Ball is predictable and frustrating, but it gets the job done.
GOAL! Barcelona 3-1 Leganés (Messi 87’): Just when it looked like Barça were in danger of not winning the game, Lionel Messi completes his hat-trick with an oportunistic finish inside the box.
GOAL, Barcelona 2-1 Leganés (El Zhar 69’): Oh boy, we have a game! El Zhar finds himself alone inside the box and fires home the first goal for the visitors. Barça fell asleep in the early minutes of the second half and paid for it. Will they wake up now?
HALF-TIME, Barcelona 2-0 Leganés: This is pretty easy, and Barça have made it a lot easier by their play. Lionel Messi with two goals and the whole team playing pretty well, and it’s been a nice watch so far. Here’s hoping it continues.
GOAL! Barcelona 2-0 Leganés (Messi 32’): Pretty good high pressing from Barça gives them the ball high up the pitch, then Philippe Coutinho finds Messi with a brilliant assist and Leo can’t miss such an easy chance. It’s now 2-0 and Barça are having a very easy night so far.
GOAL! Barcelona 1-0 Leganés (Messi 27’): Lionel Messi, free-kick, corner of the net. You already know.
KICKOFF! Barcelona 0-0 Leganés: Don’t give me a heart attack, boys!
LINEUPS
BARCELONA
Starting XI: Ter Stegen; Roberto, Piqué, Vermaelen, Semedo; Dembélé, Rakitic, Gomes, Coutinho; Messi, Suárez
Substitutes: Cillessen, Umtiti, Alba, Paulinho, Denis, Iniesta, Alcácer
LEGANÉS
Starting XI: Cuéllar; Zaldúa, Bustinza, Siovas, Raúl; Pérez, Gabriel; Omar, Eraso, El Zhar; Amrabat
Substitutes: Champagne, Tito, Gumbau, Guerrero, Beauvue, Muñoz, Brasanac
It’s La Liga day! Barcelona have pratically guaranteed a place in the Champions League semi-final, so now their job is to guarantee the league title. The draw against Sevilla was a great result because of the circumstances of that game, but the gap over Atlético Madrid is back to single digits and the Blaugrana can’t afford to be dropping points again.
Leganés are a dangerous team when they want to be, and their best performances this season came against the top sides in the league. Real Madrid crashed out of the Copa del Rey against them, and they have some really nice pieces in midfield and attack. They won’t be relegated so they have nothing to lose, so Barça have to pay attention and play their best ball to get three points.
So join us for the LIVE BLOG to follow along! It’ll be fun!
(Editor’s note: Because of the size of our community, the comments could max out pretty quickly, especially on Champions League night. So the comments will stay closed until about an hour before kickoff, when the lineups come out. Join us then!)
MATCH INFO
Competition/Round: 2017-18 La Liga, Matchday 31
Date/Time: Saturday, April 7th, 2018, 8.45pm CET (Barcelona), 7.45pm BST/WAT (UK & Nigeria), 2.45pm EST, 11.45am PST (USA), 12.15am IST (India, next day)
Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Referee: Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea
HOW TO WATCH, STREAM LA LIGA
How to watch on TV: beIN SPORTS (USA & Canada), Sky Sports Football (UK), SONY TEN 2 (India), SuperSport 7 (Nigeria), others
How to stream: beIN SPORTS CONNECT (USA & Canada), Sky GO (UK), FuboTV (7-day free trial, click here to sign up)
Matchday Thread Rules
We don’t have a lot of rules here, but there are a few things to keep in mind when joining our matchday threads:
Even if the referee sucks or we lose the game, no swearing. It’s just unnecessary. Also, don’t discuss illegal streaming links. Those who do will be warned, and those who post links will be banned. Finally, be nice to each other. This is a Barcelona community and we don’t need to offend one another.
Have fun with the game! VISCA EL BARÇA!