If FC Barcelona wants to prove that it remains the dominant force in Spain, it is certainly facing an early challenge, as arch-rivals Real Madrid have jumped out to a 6-0-0 start, and Kylian Mbappé is running away with the Golden Boot race with seven goals through six games. To add to the Blaugrana’s disappointment, Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembélé pipped Barça’s Lamine Yamal to the Ballon d’Or.
Barcelona will continue its La Liga campaign tonight with an away clash against Real Oviedo, who finished third in the Segunda División last season and were promoted through the playoffs to rejoin the top flight after a 24-year absence. The game will start at 3:30 p.m. ET (9:30 p.m. local) at Estadio Carlos Tartiere in Oviedo.
The Blaugrana are -400 favorites to win and +600 to draw at DraftKings Sportsbook, while Oviedo is +850.
Real Oviedo vs. Barcelona prediction, pick
Unsurprisingly, Barcelona has had the most dominant attack in the division so far, scoring 16 goals in five matches. Last season’s star striker, Robert Lewandowski, has barely been part of the picture, making just one start as he continues to work his way back from a hamstring injury that he suffered in preseason and looks to be on his way out when his contract expires at season’s end. Ferrán Torres has started all five matches, nabbing four goals, while Raphinha has three goals and two assists and Yamal has two goals and two assists in three matches. Fermin López had a brace in the 6-0 win over Valencia, and new signings Marcus Rashford and Joan García have both been stellar, with García allowing just three goals. Yamal will miss this match with a groin injury, but that shouldn’t be an issue, given the team’s depth.
Like Barça, Los Carbayónes have had a strong defense, conceding only eight goals in five matches. However, their attack has been completely impotent, as they’ve scored just once, thanks to the left foot of defensive midfielder Leander Dendoncker. Dendoncoker’s 40th-minute strike into the bottom right corner was responsible for three points, as Real Sociedad put just six of their 18 shots on target in a 1-0 defeat to keep the Basque giants in the drop zone. Oviedo hasn’t done much to change the squad that delivered promotion, spending just 3.5 million Euros in addition to making several loan moves. One of the paid arrivals, attacking midfielder Luka Ilić, has managed just two total shot attempts and two yellow cards. The other paid fee was paid to Girona to make Ilyas Chaira’s loan permanent, and he also hasn’t scored. Arguably Los Carbanyónes’ best player has been goalkeeper Aarón Escandell, who leads La Liga with 26 saves and ranks eighth in save percentage.
I have some faith in Escandell to keep the damage manageable, given that he’s gotten starts in the top flight before with Granada and Las Palmas, saving 11 of the 14 shots on target he faced in the 2019-20 season, including one against Atlético Madrid’s Yannick Carrasco. Barcelona probably won’t run up the score more than Real Madrid did, winning 3-0 in Matchweek 2 behind an Mbappé brace. Barcelona’s focus is on a match in the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain next Wednesday, and before that, it will face Sociedad in the league on Sunday. Hansi Flick won’t risk his best players in a match against a relegation-threatened side, so in addition to Yamal and Gavi being out, Raphinha, Lewandowski, and Jules Koundé could all be deserving of a rest day. Perhaps 19-year-old Roony Bardghji could earn his second straight start.
Of course, even a front three of Rashford, Bardghji, and Torres would all start at most teams in the bottom half of the La Liga table, so it’s not like Oviedo is completely out of the woods even if Flick rotates his squad. But the crowd at Estadio Carlos Tartiere should be rocking for Los Carbanóyes’ second home match against one of the traditional Spanish giants, just like it was for the August 24 clash against Los Blancos. The Blaugrana will win to zero, but it will be entertaining throughout.
