Does Almeria take out Barca’s Europa League frustration?

Promoted UD Almeria are still above the line in La Liga. However, the situation is still precarious for the Andalusians after three hefty defeats in a row with a total of eleven goals conceded.

Now, of all times, the undisputed leaders FC Barcelona come to the Power Horse Stadium. Accordingly, there is little to suggest that Almeria will win a point against Barcelona.

The Rojiblancos have never managed a win against Barca in 15 games so far (two draws, 13 defeats). In addition, the Blaugrana can and must fully concentrate on La Liga after their Europa League exit. It is therefore interesting to predict that the Catalans will show an act of defiance in Almeria against Barcelona and record a clear away victory in Andalusia.

While the Blaugrana have been minimalist on many occasions during the 2022/23 season, often winning narrow 1-0 victories. However, because the defence was incredibly stable, a single goal was usually enough. The last seven league games in a row alone were all won with 11:0 goals.

However, rather than betting on the Blaugrana’s next win to nil, we think it would be more sustainable to bet on Barca winning by at least two goals in Andalusia. After all, the defensively not too stable Rojiblancos have conceded a whopping eleven goals in their last three league games.

Almeria – Statistics & current form

Unión Deportiva Almería were promoted to Spain’s top flight last summer as La Liga 2 champions, where the Andalusians had already played between 2007 and 2011 and between 2013 and 2015.

Now, with the help of new financial resources provided by owner Turki Al-Sheikh, they are aiming to establish themselves in the Spanish top flight for the third time. The first step is for the Rojiblancos to secure their place in the first division.

Three defeats in a row with a total of eleven goals conceded

At times it looked really good for the Andalusians. After the winter break, however, La Unión won only one of their last eight league games (three draws, four defeats) and thus slipped dangerously low in the table again. Currently, the Rojiblancos are only above the line because of their better goal difference.

In view of the fact that they have recently lost three league games in a row with 4:11 goals, the goal difference could soon no longer be an advantage if the Almeriensistas do not turn things around soon. Only last Friday, Rubi’s team suffered a 6-2 defeat at fellow promotion contenders Girona

19 points from a possible 33 in their own stadium

The promoted team can, however, put a strong home record on the line. At the Power Horse Stadium, the Rojiblancos won six of their eleven league games (one draw, four defeats) and picked up 19 of a possible 33 points. This puts the Andalusians in eighth place in the La Liga home table – ahead of traditionally strong teams like Atlético Madrid, Sevilla FC or Valencia CF.

Nevertheless, the betting odds on Almeria against Barcelona are clearly in favour of the visitors from Catalonia. After all, La Unión have never won a competitive match against the Blaugrana in 15 attempts (two draws, 13 defeats).

Last matches played by Almeria:

La Liga
18/02/2023 – Girona 6 – 2 Almeria

11/02/2023 – Almeria 2 – 3 Real Betis

07/02/2023 – Rayo Vallecano 2 – 0 Almeria

28/01/2023 – Almeria 3 – 1 Espanyol

24/01/2023 – Valencia 2 – 2 Almeria

Barcelona – Statistics & current form

FC Barcelona not only remained titleless at domestic level in the 2021/22 season, but were also sidelined internationally. After the inglorious exit in the Champions League preliminary round, the Catalans failed in the Europa League quarter-finals at the later overall winner Eintracht Frankfurt.

In the summer, massive amounts of money were pumped into the squad at great risk in order to be in a better position for the new season. While everything is going according to plan in La Liga, the European chapter has now reached a new, sad low point.

The national triple is still possible

After Barca once again failed in the Champions League preliminary round, this time even the Europa League intermediate round was the end of the line. On Thursday evening, the Xavi team lost 2-1 to Manchester United and now only have the national competitions to look forward to, which is a bitter disappointment considering all the good results in Spain.

At national level, however, at least the minor triple is still possible and not at all improbable. The Blaugrana have already won the Supercopa de Espana 3:1 against arch-rivals Real Madrid, who will also play the Clásico in the Copa del Rey semifinals. And in La Liga, the Catalans are the absolute measure of all things anyway.

Recent seven straight wins to nil in La Liga

Barca have now not lost for 13 league games in a row, taking 37 points from a possible 39 in that period. It was not so much the brilliant attacking football of the Messi era, but rather the almost unbreakable defence that favoured this flight of fancy. The Blaugrana have won the last seven league games in a row, all to nil.

The forecast for the Catalans’ next away win at Almeria against Barcelona is correspondingly clear. They already have an eight-point lead over Real Madrid and are also the clear number one in the La Liga away table with 30 out of a possible 33 points. With just seven goals conceded from 22 league games, Xavi’s side also boast the best defence in La Liga.

Last Barcelona games:

Europa League Final Stage
24/02/2023 – Manchester United 2 – 1 FC Barcelona

La Liga
20/02/2023 – FC Barcelona 2 – 0 Cadiz

Europa League Final Stage
17/02/2023 – FC Barcelona 2 – 2 Manchester United

La Liga
13/02/2023 – FC Villarreal 0 – 1 FC Barcelona

06/02/2023 – FC Barcelona 3 – 0 FC Sevilla

Almeria – Barcelona Direct comparison / H2H balance

Head to head: 0 – 2 – 13

15 competitive matches have taken place between the two teams so far and with 13 wins, the Blaugrana lead the direct comparison by a clear margin. Barca also won the first leg 2-0 on 5 November 2022 and have moreover won their last four visits to the Rojiblancos – including an 8-0 thumping at Almeria that dates back to November 2010.

Almeria – Barcelona Tip

For Almeria against Barcelona, the odds are very clearly in favour of the visitors, who may have suffered another low point at European level during the week, but are still the absolute measure of all things national. A clear reaction is not unlikely, because the Rojiblancos have been in poor form lately and have lost three league games in a row, conceding a total of eleven goals.

It is therefore a good idea to bet on the Blaugrana to win by at least two goals against Barcelona at the Power Horse Stadium.