Another Lewandowski show: Barcelona visit Rayo Vallecano with this XI

Barcelona have had difficult weeks lately. Some bad results in La Liga, like the defeat in the 'Clasico' against Real Madrid, and in Champions League, like the match they lost against Shakhtar Donetsk in Germany, have caused criticism from the press and dissatisfaction from the fans. And the team's performances have not helped either, as the level they showed in recent games has been far from expectations.

All this has led to coach Xavi Hernandez being blamed as the main culprit, with the media accusing him of not knowing how to interpret what the team needed. And even this sparked rumors of a possible change of coach next summer, if things don't work out this season.

Nevertheless, Los Blaugranas are close to qualifying for the round of 16 of the Champions League and also close to the top of the La Liga standings. There the leaders are Girona with 34 points, while Real Madrid have 32. Barcelona have 30, so if they get a win this Saturday against Rayo Vallecano, they will be at least for a few hours in second place and very close to Girona.

Coach Xavi decided that the starting lineup will be: Iñaki Peña; Joao Cancelo, Andreas Christensen, Iñigo Martinez, Alex Balde; Frenkie De Jong, Oriol Romeu, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, Ferrán Torres. In addition, the substitutes will be Aron Yaakobishvili, Ander Astralaga, Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Marcos Alonso, Aleix Garrido, Fermin Lopez, Unai Hernandez, Ilkay Gundogan, Raphinha and Joao Felix.

For them it is a great opportunity

Rayo Vallecano are in 10th place in the standings with 18 points. If they win, they will catch Real Betis, who are in the Conference League qualification zone. Coach Francisco Rodriguez chose this XI: Stole Dimitrievski; Ivan Balliu, Abdul Mumin, Florian Lejeune, Alfonso Espino; Isi Palazon, Unai Lopez, Oscar Valentin, Jorge De Frutos, Sergio Perez Camello; Oscar Trejo.