Barcelona v Leganes Betting Tips: Can Barca continue their title march?
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Odds and preview for tonight’s La Liga fixture
In their first match back at the Nou Camp following the return of football, Barcelona are the clear favourites to win at 1/5.
Leganes are fighting for their lives and they’re going at 16/1 to snatch a shock victory, while the draw is 11/2.
Despite Barca’s short odds, they only managed a 2-1 win in the reverse fixture back in November and they’re 17/2 to repeat that feat.
Lionel Messi has enjoyed another remarkable campaign, with 20 goals so far in La Liga, and he returned in style with a goal and two assists at the weekend. The Argentinian is 15/8 to open the scoring and 17/2 to net his fourth hat-trick of the season.
After more than three months since their last match, Barcelona returned in emphatic style on Saturday as they thrashed Real Mallorca 4-0 in their own back yard.
Perhaps the enforced break was a blessing in disguise for the Catalan side. A cagey Champions League draw at Napoli followed by defeat to Real Madrid threatened to derail their season as they were knocked off top spot.
Yet their blushes were spared as they limped to a win over Real Sociedad, regaining top spot after Real were stunned at Real Betis.
And after recharging their batteries, Barca took no prisoners at Mallorca. As is tradition, Messi was the star of the show and he’ll need to maintain his renewed form in order to guide his side to their fourth title in five years.
They’ve been boosted by the return to fitness of Luis Suarez, who came off the bench at the weekend for his first appearance since early January.
Ousmane Dembele remains Barca’s only long-term absentee as he continues to nurse a hamstring injury, while Jordi Alba will miss out tonight after picking up a suspension against Mallorca.
Clement Lenglet returns from his ban while Martin Braithwaite, who scored his first goal for the club at the weekend, will be hoping to continue his run in the side against the team he left in January.
While Barca are flying high at the top of La Liga, two points clear of Real, it’s a different story for Leganes.
They’re currently 19th in the table, three points from safety, and they’ll be without top scorer Oscar Rodriguez tonight due to suspension.
Meanwhile, they’re also without Alexander Szymanowski, who has a knee injury.
Leganes will be fully aware that their chances of winning tonight are slim but they’ll be keen for an injection of momentum and confidence ahead of a crucial season run-in, starting with a trip to fellow strugglers Mallorca on Friday.
With just two points between the pair, it could be a defining game in both club’s seasons, and Mallorca could increase their cushion with a positive result against Villarreal tonight.
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All odds and markets correct as of date of publication.
