Barcelona will look to win five La Liga matches in a row when it faces Elche at the Camp Nou on Saturday, August 17.
Barca is currently second in the table, two points behind the leader and arch-rival Real Madrid. Elche is in 19th and has picked up just a point from its first five games of the season.
Xavi’s Barcelona will be coming into the match on the back of a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich in the Champions League. It was a match where the Catalan side had a plethora of chances, especially in the first half but could not take them. The missed chances came back to bite Barca as early second-half goals by Lucas Hernandez and Leroy Sane sealed the win for the Bavarians at the Allianz Arena.
Barcelona enjoys a good record against Elche. It has won six of its last La Liga matches against Elche including a 3-2 win at Camp Nou last season.
Team news
Xavi will have a fully fit squad for the match provided there aren’t any last-minute injuries. Robert Lewandowski, who failed to score against his former club Bayern Munich in Barca’s 2-0 defeat, has had a stellar start to his La Liga season, netting six goals already.
Elche will miss the services of Gonzalo Verdu who is out with a groin problem. Gerard Gumbau will also miss out on the chance to play against his former club after picking up a hamstring problem against Athletic Bilbao.
