Three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Girona

Barcelona take on Girona at Spotify Camp Nou days after a devastating defeat to Real Madrid in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal. The La Liga clash sees Xavi’s men enter as clear favourites, but their recent defeat blurs the line between the two teams.

Michel’s men lost narrowly to Barcelona earlier in the season when Pedri’s second-half goal separated them at Estadi Montilivi. They currently sit in eleventh place on the league standings with nine wins and 11 losses in 27 games.

The clash on Monday night will be far from the cakewalk some expect it to be. The Girona defence of Miguel Gutierrez, Arnau Martinez, David Lopez and Santiago Bueno can be close to impenetrable when deployed as a low-block, and the pressure will be on Xavi to find ways to unlock it.

Barca Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Girona.

1. Dagger through the heart

Barcelona have seen several colossal second-leg collapses over the years. From the time of Roma and Liverpool to the more recent disaster at Old Trafford, mental resilience has not been a strength for the Catalans. Wednesday’s 4-0 hammering by Real Madrid deservedly falls in the same category.

The Catalans were not particularly poor in the first half against Los Blancos, but the manner in which they fell apart in the second period was embarrassing. In a matter of 20 minutes, they saw a 1-0 aggregate lead convert into a 3-1 disadvantage and the game was over.

To endure a catastrophe of such size at the stadium you call home can definitely not be easy on the young dressing room. The players already had one foot in the final of the Copa del Rey, dreams of a domestic double and a fourth successive El Clasico win but it all evaporated on a fated night.

Monday is a fresh leaf on the calendar, but one knows that the loss midweek will play its part in the outcome against Girona. It will be vital for Xavi Hernandez to keep his men motivated and push them towards the league title, one that is still very much under their control.

2. The Zamora Trophy

The Blaugrana’s comfortable position atop La Liga this season has been less about the proficiency of the forwards and more about a strong defence. The most important cog pioneering the run, however, is Marc-Andre ter Stegen in goal.

The German is having a doozy of a season and has conceded just nine goals in 27 La Liga matches. Further, he has overseen a staggering 20 clean sheets in the process.

The Zamora Trophy is an award given to felicitate the best goalkeeper in the Spanish first division, and a contender must participate in at least 28 league matches to be eligible for the same. If Ter Stegen plays 60 minutes against Girona and maintains a clean sheet, he will reach that number and automatically become the unofficial winner.

It is not the number of clean sheets or goals conceded that decides the Zamora Award but the statistic of the number of goals conceded per game. It is thus impossible to mathematically seal the award 100%, but Ter Stegen is close to assuring himself his first Zamora on Monday.

The German averages just 0.33 goals conceded per game, a number that completely destroys the current record of 0.47 shared by Jan Oblak and Paco Liano. His main contenders this season are Oblak (with a coefficient of 0.68) and Thibaut Courtois (0.86).

Even if the Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid goalkeepers do not concede a goal for the rest of the season, they will be unable to breach the 0.33 mark of Ter Stegen. The trophy will thus be under his control, and all he has to do to keep its possession is to avoid a colossal collapse from his side.

3. Is it going to be 15?

The Villarreal curse continued for Real Madrid as they lost to Quique Setien’s side for the second time this season on Saturday. The result at the Santiago Bernabeu saw Los Blancos drop three more valuable points in La Liga, providing Barcelona with a chance to extend their lead on a golden platter.

A win over Girona at Spotify Camp Nou could thus boost the spirits in the dressing room and take the team one step closer to sealing La Liga.

The Catalans’ 12-point lead over the defending champions would become 15 with a positive result. With just ten games left to go in the Spanish league, it would be a massive advantage.

To put it into perspective, Barcelona would have to lose five of their remaining ten fixtures for their arch-rivals to catch up assuming Real Madrid no longer drop points. Further, it gives them enough room to draw their next seven games without losing their edge.

La Liga is close to being sealed, and a win over Girona, thus, would practically do the job.