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Osasuna and Barcelona seek to start a new life this afternoon at El Sadar (4:15 p.m. Movistar LaLiga) that makes them forget the hardships that they drag (follow the game live on As.com). The rojillos have only won one home game and have played seven games without knowing victory. They are in the quiet area of the table, so much so that if they beat Barça this afternoon they will overtake the Barça players in the standings, but there is a certain alarm in Pamplona, The team gives the feeling that it is falling and that it needs a good result, especially in front of its fans.
But if the Osasuna thing is uneasiness, the Barça thing is a declared state of anxiety. Relegated to the Europa League after falling with all the law in Munich With no other option than to avoid a win, Barça is beginning to see with concern how the group of teams that aspire to European places escapes from the table.
After the defeat of Munich, Xavi announced the beginning of a “new era” at Barcelona, but this one should start with fewer wickers than the one that finished the previous one. Regarding the Champions League match in Germany, The Barça coach has lost Jordi Alba and Memphis Depay in the face of the visit to the always complicated Osasuna fiefdom.
The loss of the Dutch striker is especially worrying, because it leaves Barcelona orphaned of a leading forward, so most likely Xavi will have to get hold of Luuk de Jong, a player who was little more than a decorative figure since the arrival of the Terrassa coach.
Taking into account that the presence of extremes is an almost non-negotiable premise for the Catalan coach and that it is most likely that Dembélé and Abde will start playing, Barcelona need someone in the area to finish off their arrivals. And with that profile, like it or not, there is no one but Luuk de Jong. The orange striker will be in charge of deciding whether or not there is a new era.