Barcelona host Racing Santander at Camp Nou on Wednesday, with the reigning Spanish champions aiming to maintain their perfect league record against last season’s LaLiga2 winners.
Hansi Flick’s side have won each of their opening five league matches and followed that run with a 5-1 European victory over Feyenoord. Barcelona have also scored five against Elche, Rayo Vallecano and Valencia, before beating Levante 4-0 on Sunday.
Raphinha has been central to their attacking form, with the club captain registering eight goals and three assists in all competitions. Barcelona’s defence has also impressed, although Joan Garcia and his team-mates conceded twice at Estadi Ciutat de Valencia after a run of clean sheets.
Racing Santander will therefore face a major challenge, but their return to the top flight after more than 14 years has brought encouraging results. They began with a 2-2 draw against Villarreal, narrowly lost to Getafe and then collected six points from their next three matches. Rayo edged past Elche and Alaves at home either side of a 3-2 defeat by Rayo Vallecano in Madrid.
The match takes place on Wednesday, 16 September, with kick-off at 20:30 BST. Premier Sports 1 and the Premier Sports Player will show the game live. The referee and VAR appointments are yet to be confirmed.
Barcelona are priced at 1/16 to win, with the draw at 12/1 and Racing Santander at 22/1, according to bet365. The odds were correct at the time of publication and are subject to change.
Flick has no new injury concerns after the win against Levante, but remains without several players. Roony Bardghji is expected to be out for an extended period after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in training, while Frenkie de Jong has a serious right-knee problem and hopes to return in the coming weeks. The Netherlands international damaged his ligaments at this summer’s World Cup.
Jesse Bisiwu has recovered quickly from a knock sustained against Sabadell in the Copa Catalunya but has yet to make his first-team debut. The Belgian teenager joined from Club Brugge’s academy in the summer and is currently playing for Barcelona’s reserve side in the fourth tier.
Eric Garcia wore a protective mask against Levante after Rodri’s arm caught him in the face during the match with Valencia. Gerard Martin also suffered a bloody nose after colliding with Victor Garcia and was replaced at half-time as a precaution. Andreas Christensen is expected to start in his place.
Barcelona’s predicted XI is Joan Garcia; Eric Garcia, Pau Cubarsi, Andreas Christensen, Xavi Espart; Gavi, Rodri, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Anthony Gordon.
Racing Santander coach Jose Alberto is expected to select Julen Agirrezabala; Alvaro Mantilla, Manu Hernando, Pablo Ramon, Jorge Salinas; Ivan Martin, Matteo Prati; Pablo Garcia, Sergio Canales, Inigo Vicente; and Yassir Zabiri.
Andres Martin is absent after spraining his knee during last month’s 3-2 win over Elche. He has been told to expect up to eight weeks out after scoring 23 goals to help Racing win the second tier last season.
Jose Alberto otherwise has a full squad and continues to promote young players. Zabiri, signed on loan from Stade Rennais, scored a hat-trick against Elche and added two more goals at the weekend. Full-back Jorge Salinas, a Spain Under-19 international, recorded seven assists in 32 league appearances last season and attracted interest from Manchester United and Barcelona during the summer.
Barcelona have won each of the clubs’ past eight meetings, including a 2-0 Copa del Rey last-16 victory in January, when Ferran Torres and Lamine Yamal scored. Their next tie ended in defeat by eventual runners-up Atletico Madrid.
Racing’s last win over Barcelona came in 2003, when they triumphed 3-0 at Estadio El Sardinero. They have not won at Camp Nou for more than 40 years, since Ricardo Alvarez and Juan Carlos Veron scored in a 2-0 victory during the 1982/83 campaign. Barcelona were without Diego Maradona, who had been diagnosed with Hepatitis three months earlier, although he returned later in the season to help the club win the Copa del Rey and Copa de la Liga.
Premier Sports 1 is also showing Atletico Madrid v Osasuna before the Camp Nou fixture. Sky customers with a Premier Sports package can watch on channel 419, while Virgin customers should use channel 551. The Premier Sports Player is also available on television and smartphones. The broadcaster holds the rights to more than 340 Spanish top-flight matches per season until at least the end of the 2027/28 campaign.