La Liga (Spanish League) Prediction Thread 2023/24

[Pulsar77]

Depay is still a Barcelona player although his contract is expiring next summer. As far as I know they have been thinking of letting him go in January. However if Depay doesn't find a club for himself then he would stay at least until the end of the season. Especially in times Lewandowski is absent, Depay would do a nice job in his position. Depay proved this before so I don't think he is a bad player now. His last season performance was average. He scored 13 goals in total.

As Lewandowski is out for some weeks due to being suspended Depay will be needed there. Hopefully he will continue to be productive to fill Lewandowski's place as good as possible.

[Doell]

-snip-

I just checked that it was last month's game against Osasuna and it's true that Lewandowski got a red card. I can't understand why Lewandowski did this even though he is an important player for Barcelona and while also being the top scorer for La Liga, but it seems Barcelona doesn't want to bother because of this incident and his replacement on the front lines must have been arranged by Xavi.

But Barcelona has tried to appeal the decision of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, but unsuccessful. Although Lewandowski has statement that the behavior that got him in trouble was actually directed to coach of the Barcelona Xavi, but that's a problem he made that attitude after receiving the card. I'm sure Xavi can definitely use another players for the upcoming matches, Ferran Torres is also still there to help Raphinha and they have a more substitute player.

[ShowOff]

Teamwork does not depend on one person.  But everyone has different abilities.  And currently, Lewandowski has the most goalscoring ability among all Barca strikers.

And all the other Laliga forward?
Lewandowski has made 14 appearances for Barcelona in Laliga, he has scored 13 goals and that is the highest number of goals scored by a player in Laliga this season. Lewandowski leads the current top scorer standings, and if he has to be absent for 3 matches then of course Barcelona will feel a bad impact. I'm worried about that, and I really hope Xavi has a good solution from the rest of the players.

[erep]

In the game with Osasuna, Lewandowski received two yellow cards -> they turned into a red card and he was sent off. When he left the field, he showed a disrespectful gesture towards the referee. The disciplinary committee for this violation gave him three games of disqualification. I would say that Lewandowski acted unprofessionally in this case.

Have official confirming about Robert Lewandowski will absent for three games later after receiving red card when last games against Osasuna before World Cup 2022, reported from sport.es, Lewandowski have absent in three matches later for Barcelona against Espanyol, Atletico Madrid and Getafe.

I don't think have good condition for Barcelona without Robert Lewandowski for three matches later, however he has been top scorer for Barcelona and success scored 13 goals from 14 matches. Left possibility with Memphis Depay get back regular position in three matches later, but depending with Xavi Hernandez will giving him regular position or having another scheme after losing Lewandowski.

Xavi has the perfect squad after the World Cup break. Unfortunately Xavi had to lose Lewandowski who was suspended for 3 matches due to a red card.
The loss of Lewandowski is a little worrying for Barcelona's attack power, Xavi must find a solution to place a suitable player to replace Lewandowski. Xavi can rely on Depay when hosting Espanyol at Camp Nou.
Depay who won the trust with the Dutch national team in the world cup, can be played by Xavi to show his actions. This opportunity must be taken advantage of so that in the next match we can again get a place to play.

[DanWalker]

~snip~

Why do you think that Barcelona need good defenders? Barcelona conceded 5 goals in 14 games, this is the best defense in La Liga. They are followed by Betis in this indicator, they conceded 12 goals, do you understand how reliable Barcelona's defense is? Their attack also shares a leading position with Real, they scored 33 goals in 14 matches, they are doing great. There are still financial problems, but gradually they will be able to solve them, they also have a good bench, maybe Xavi just needs more time.

I have said this in my previous post, but I am going to say this again. Barcelona does need to go to defenders because they conceded three goals in the Real Madrid match. So, if they cannot stop bigger and more competitive opponents, they are not going to go far with this defense. Yes, of course, they have defended well against the other opponents. But if they cannot perform well against their main rivals, for me, it doesn’t count.

I am also feeling they still have one of the toughest defence in La Liga because they are surely done amazing stuff in all their early matches and not allowed any team to break their defence and give them any problem in last five matches just one goal from Osasuna and all other teams not able to done any serious threat is giving all report about how things working in this season even in Champions League they were not good enough, but hopefully they will fix and bring better results in the coming years under the Xavi leadership which is working hard for bringing bad glory days.
Now in January they are trying to sell their few players for solving their finances issues because things are still looking not good, and they have fixed this all otherwise this can bring more troubles and their hard work could be ruin due to this all.

They have the toughest defense deal now because they have not performed against too many better opponents. The one opponent that is currently better than Barcelona I would say is Real Madrid and they did not do well at all in that match. And we have to remember that Barcelona will need to beat Real Madrid if they want to win the La Liga title. So, that’s why I think Barcelona needs a better defender.

[longyenthanh]

first of all barcelona has had financial constraints that have hit them in the past 3 seasons so many barcelona players are in arrears of their payments. well in such a situation it is very difficult for barcelona management to get rid of aging players because if they do this then they have to pay money in advance for the arrears that occur. pique for example where in one of the sports news that I read he has given everything for barcelona in his career but this season he seems to have been sidelined from the barcelona squad and finally he decided to retire.

They had bad ways to use money for player transfers and salary and so far I did not see they have good changes to resolve those problems.

They are still buying players and spent money on transfer market, salary pool for players is still high which are harmful for their finance in long run. Especially their finance is already bad and at a verge of collapse in past seasons. This season looks bad for them too because they failed in Champions League very early and will have to play knock-out matches with Manchester United in Europa League.

barcelona must improve their finances to support the team's journey in a better direction and there are no arrears in player salaries that have not been paid.

They are not resolving their crisis but are taking more risk by having more big loans. With this risk betting approach, Barcelona positively hope that they will get good results in La Liga and Champions League to improve their finance and gradually clear up their crisis.

Honestly, I can not say I am positively thinking about it but of course best wishes to Barcelona.

Barcelona has a rich history.  But currently Barca is failing to hold it.  But good luck to Barca.  Maybe someday they will come back for good.  But Messi, Iniesta, Puel, Eto'o are not like them.

[CryptoPanda]

If I look at the World Cup performances in my mind, the three best players in the world and the number 1,2 and 3 players in the list of the best are at PSG.  So they can do anything they want.  But if all three do their best and look after their own interests and pass the ball properly, then nothing is possible.

I agree, Neymar, Mbappe and Messi were outstanding in the world and I'm sure the owner of the club as well as the PSG fans will have their shoulders lifted high. All three players will be a joy to watch when the league finally resumes, I am also expecting all three to replicate the same energy and form in the french league, that’s if they can put aside the bad feelings from the World Cup. Hopefully none will sustain any injury and will be fully fit the resume with the league.

[rendravolt]

-snip-

I just checked that it was last month's game against Osasuna and it's true that Lewandowski got a red card. I can't understand why Lewandowski did this even though he is an important player for Barcelona and while also being the top scorer for La Liga, but it seems Barcelona doesn't want to bother because of this incident and his replacement on the front lines must have been arranged by Xavi.

But Barcelona has tried to appeal the decision of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, but unsuccessful. Although Lewandowski has statement that the behavior that got him in trouble was actually directed to coach of the Barcelona Xavi, but that's a problem he made that attitude after receiving the card. I'm sure Xavi can definitely use another players for the upcoming matches, Ferran Torres is also still there to help Raphinha and they have a more substitute player.

It seems that this appeal will not be able to change anything, but this is Barcelona with a myriad of great players, Xavi can certainly solve the problem of strikers in the front row later. True, Ferran Torres is good enough to fill the void left by Lewandowski. Later the wings that will accompany him will be Raphinha and Ansu Fati.

[mamesso]

~Snip~

Lewandowski's absence, indeed, will leave Barcelona somewhat confused.  Lewandowski is a top quality striker.  There is no one like him in current Barca.  But it will depend on Xavi, how he deals with this absence.

Xavi is not too bothered by Lewandowski's suspension, even though the player material that Barcelona has on the front line is not of the same quality as Lewandowski, Xavi still has many choices of players who can be played in Lewandowski position. Barcelona has experienced positive developments this season, Xavi can still play Depay as a replacement for Lewandowski. Ansu Fati is also in a combat-ready condition, Ferran Torres is ready to be placed in the center striker position.

Another advantage for Barcelona this match will be played at Camp Nou, the players will definitely be very motivated to win the match at their home ground. But Xavi must not underestimate the strength of Espanyol, the line of defense must be the focus so that Espanyol players do not easily pierce Barcelona's defense.

[BITCOIN4X]

Depay is still a Barcelona player although his contract is expiring next summer. As far as I know they have been thinking of letting him go in January. However if Depay doesn't find a club for himself then he would stay at least until the end of the season. Especially in times Lewandowski is absent, Depay would do a nice job in his position. Depay proved this before so I don't think he is a bad player now. His last season performance was average. He scored 13 goals in total.

As Lewandowski is out for some weeks due to being suspended Depay will be needed there. Hopefully he will continue to be productive to fill Lewandowski's place as good as possible.

Xavi has several players for Lewandowski's replacement options during his absence in the next 3 matches. Indeed, it will be detrimental to Barcelona considering the reason why Lewandowski didn't actually make a gesture to the referee but instead to his coach. Xavi has some good forward options in his squad. Depay might get a chance, but Ansu Fati and Ferran also have a chance.

A 3 match ban for Lewandowski seems like a bit too much, but I don't understand what would have required him to get such a heavy penalty. Well in the end I just hope Barcelona can keep up their form without Lewy, and wish Depay all the best.

[LUCKMCFLY]

the Real Madrid vs Valladolid match and the Barcelona vs Espanyol match seem a bit easy to predict. because the match should be a fairly easy game for Barcelona and Real madrid. But I am a little interested in the match between Villareal vs Valencia. Villareal is ranked 9th in the standings with 21 points acquired. while Valencia is ranked 10th in the standings with 19 points acquired. I think this match will be a little interesting. and it will also be a fierce match. but what's unique is that when Villareal fights Valencia, the match always ends with one of them losing or winning and rarely a draw.

Since the teams will be playing after a long time, I would say that even if the opponent is weak, it will not be easy for them to win. Valladolid and Espanyol are relatively weak teams. However, Madrid and Barcelona are likely to drop points in this match if they don't perform carefully.

Villarreal and Valencia are only two points apart. Both teams will want to climb to the top of the table. And so this match is very important for both the teams. But I think Villarreal will win against Valencia. Because it is their home match. And Villarreal have won their last 3 home matches against Valencia.

Real madrid and Barcelona cannot afford to be complacent. because even a team that is considered weak will sometimes surprise opponents who underestimate them. because usually carelessness occurs when we underestimate our opponents. But Real Madrid and Barcelona should not do that. I believe Real Madrid and Barcelona always give their best no matter who they play.

thanks friend. I think your prediction of Villarreal going to win in that game is quite reasonable when talking about home games. and I think there's nothing wrong with me betting a little for this match, namely for villareal.

Well, the truth is, after all this, and despite the vacations or restlessness that some players have had, I think that in my personal opinion it is obvious that Real Madrid is in a much better position than everyone here, it is not about saying who is more stronger or weaker, because I think that in the World Cup it was evidenced that there is no apparent weak team, so this also applies to the clubs, especially those in the League, however, why do I say that Real Madrid is in a better position? because they have more money, they are not in debt, they have to choose the best players in the world to play for them, they have the luxury of saying no to Mbappé who now wants to play for them, I think these things are what make them superior and they show it on the court playing.

Here's nothing more than evidence:

Argentine striker tipped to join Real Madrid someday

As reported by MARCA, his first coach in his hometown of Calchin, Rafael Varas, has pointed out in an interview with Sebastian Srur on the Argentine station Radio Continental:

    “I believe that at any time he can wear the Real Madrid shirt.”

It is safe to say that Alvarez is a phenomenal talent and he is definitely good enough to wear the Real Madrid shirt. In fact, he is believed to have been on trial with Los Blancos at 11 years of age in a summer tournament.

Source: https://therealchamps.com/2022/12/25/argentine-striker-join-real-madrid/

[Furious 7]

Lewandowski's absence, indeed, will leave Barcelona somewhat confused.  Lewandowski is a top quality striker.  There is no one like him in current Barca.  But it will depend on Xavi, how he deals with this absence.

3 games without Lewandowski makes it a bit complicated but on the other hand it could also be a good stage for Depay because Xavi doesn't have another pure striker now and if Depay is trusted then he has to do his best to at least keep him in because if seeing the rumors now Depay is on the sales list so he has to do his best to survive.
Luckily Lewandowski will go through the game against Espanyol, Atletico Madrid and Getafe whose form is not very good at the moment but this still doesn't mean they can win of course.

[izsara]

Tchouameni and Camavinga are the first examples. In two years, Endrick is also going to be arriving at the team. I think that we will see the continuation of these moves soon.

Now it's just a matter of how they manage and train these players properly so that the 70 million they spend doesn't go to waste.
He's progressing quite well and 2 years I think can make him more mature but don't make a mistake in taking action because Endrick's age is still vulnerable in my opinion but when it works it will be very good because we already know Vini and Rodrygo are also doing the same thing and now they are in development but can already be declared successful.

Maybe Carlo Ancelotti should focus on developing young players for midfield. Luka Modric's age can be said to be a retired player, but there are no new players who can work optimally in midfield as a substitute for Luka Modric. Camavinga doesn't yet look like a player who can organize attacks, but I'm sure this will easily materialize under coach Carlo Ancelotti. He is a coach who is relaxed when he is on the field when facing any club.

I think when Camavinga is given more this place can be better and he has often put in good performances when he often changes with Modric. But it is also not wrong to make plans for the next few years even though it is now nearing the end of Ancelotti before he actually retires from his coach considering he is also not too young.
To be honest, for the midfield there is also Valverde who can be used as a benchmark because even though he often plays on the wing, his original position is still a midfielder.

[CryptoPanda]

Previously, what problem did Lewandowski have that caused him to be suspended for 3 matches? I haven't heard any news about him today. The away match against Atletico Madrid will certainly be a crucial match considering that Barcelona must win this match if Real Madrid does not want to shift its position at the top of the standings.

Lewandowski has been suspended for 3 matches for insulting or disrespecting the referee. This he got when Barcelona visited Osasuna headquarters in their 14th week. The Spanish football federation considered the actions taken by the Polish national player to be excessive and disrespectful to the referee who led the match, so this suspension was given to him. Lewandowski himself denied that his actions were directed at the referee, but still the appeal that was made did not result in the decision to sanction him being revoked.

It is a shame they will have to be without their most important player at this crucial moment when he is needed the most. Real Madrid will be hoping to see Barcelona struggling without Lewandowski and possibly lose points. I just hope Xavi has a good plan to manage the situation to get positive results from the game and get back on top of the league but I think Barcelona will find a way to get the best from this three games without Lewandowski.

[Velvet78]

Ancelotti was looking for the successor for benzema. Enrick already bought from palmeiras with decent amounts of money. I think that ancelotti used him as the future asset while real madrid was also still looking for the beast striker that might have the same playstyle like benzema and that might be mbappe. There's no need to feel worry about that. Benzema has been planning some good plans regarding it. Even real madrid already planned to fine a replacement for modric once modric will be going out from madrid caused by he was an old enough to play football.
Madrid has been doing massive regeneration for its player. that means madrid will be coming back with the fresh players. I think that barcelona will not able to compete with madrid in the future.

Endrick can really be Real Madrid's future in the centre-forward position. However there are still many years for him to reach that level most probably. He is only 16 years old and this is even preventing him from joining Real Madrid before 2024.    However after he joins I will also be curious about his performance the most.

Because Real Madrid believe in him very much seemingly. They were ready to spent 70 million euros for him even though he was only 16. Until he deserves the starting eleven I think Real Madrid would sign a top striker to take Benzema's place.

[Sirait]

Endrick can really be Real Madrid's future in the centre-forward position. However there are still many years for him to reach that level most probably. He is only 16 years old and this is even preventing him from joining Real Madrid before 2024.    However after he joins I will also be curious about his performance the most.

Because Real Madrid believe in him very much seemingly. They were ready to spent 70 million euros for him even though he was only 16. Until he deserves the starting eleven I think Real Madrid would sign a top striker to take Benzema's place.

madrid has an extraordinary team of scouts, rarely do players miss their expectations, for example, they bought Vinicius jr, reinier and rodrygo when the three of them were young and now they are performing well enough for madrid. this team called los galacticos is always at the forefront of seeing potential players and will continue to do that, that's the reason why they always win la liga and UCL.

[baeva]

Previously, what problem did Lewandowski have that caused him to be suspended for 3 matches? I haven't heard any news about him today. The away match against Atletico Madrid will certainly be a crucial match considering that Barcelona must win this match if Real Madrid does not want to shift its position at the top of the standings.

Lewandowski has been suspended for 3 matches for insulting or disrespecting the referee. This he got when Barcelona visited Osasuna headquarters in their 14th week. The Spanish football federation considered the actions taken by the Polish national player to be excessive and disrespectful to the referee who led the match, so this suspension was given to him. Lewandowski himself denied that his actions were directed at the referee, but still the appeal that was made did not result in the decision to sanction him being revoked.

It is a shame they will have to be without their most important player at this crucial moment when he is needed the most. Real Madrid will be hoping to see Barcelona struggling without Lewandowski and possibly lose points. I just hope Xavi has a good plan to manage the situation to get positive results from the game and get back on top of the league but I think Barcelona will find a way to get the best from this three games without Lewandowski.

I do not have the slightest doubt that Barcelona will not be difficult, the maximum that can happen is a draw in one of the matches, but clearly not a defeat. So the situation in the standings will continue to be difficult.  They do not depend heavily on Lewandowski, so it will not be difficult to rebuild the lineup, it is their main advantage

[Masplanc]

Previously, what problem did Lewandowski have that caused him to be suspended for 3 matches? I haven't heard any news about him today. The away match against Atletico Madrid will certainly be a crucial match considering that Barcelona must win this match if Real Madrid does not want to shift its position at the top of the standings.

Lewandowski has been suspended for 3 matches for insulting or disrespecting the referee. This he got when Barcelona visited Osasuna headquarters in their 14th week. The Spanish football federation considered the actions taken by the Polish national player to be excessive and disrespectful to the referee who led the match, so this suspension was given to him. Lewandowski himself denied that his actions were directed at the referee, but still the appeal that was made did not result in the decision to sanction him being revoked.

It is a shame they will have to be without their most important player at this crucial moment when he is needed the most. Real Madrid will be hoping to see Barcelona struggling without Lewandowski and possibly lose points. I just hope Xavi has a good plan to manage the situation to get positive results from the game and get back on top of the league but I think Barcelona will find a way to get the best from this three games without Lewandowski.

Barcelona will make plans to scale through this period Lewandowski won't be playing.  I think the ban of Lewandowski is a ban that will last for three matches of Barcelona that will take place in laliga. Real Madrid sees the suspension as an advantage to be in the first position.

[Ryu_Ar1]

Because Real Madrid believe in him very much seemingly. They were ready to spent 70 million euros for him even though he was only 16. Until he deserves the starting eleven I think Real Madrid would sign a top striker to take Benzema's place.

You might have to watch the Brazilian League to see Endrick's performance btw because even though this player has been successfully secured, according to the rules there players under the age of 18 cannot be transferred to European clubs. so Endrick will have to wait until 2024 before moving to Madrid CMIIW.
But on the other hand, his performance at Palmeiras was very good so there was indeed a lot of hunting going on, but Madrid succeeded by bringing in this player with 60 million and 12 million as dependents on purchase taxes.

[emrecemsan]

I wonder if Xavi has any plans to change his classical tiki-taka game strategy in the future. It works very well in the La Liga maybe but it is like that only there. We have all seen that it didn't work on Inter and Bayern Munich both in the Champions League group stage. Barcelona were able to get only one point in the four matches in total they played against those two teams. This obsolete strategy doesn't work against big teams in short. They failed hard against Real Madrid in the El Clasico here as well.

Even if they win the La Liga title this season I hope Xavi still thinks about making some changes in his game plan for next season. Otherwise he might experience another disaster in the Champions League which might be the end of his management career at Barcelona.