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via Imago

via Imago

As we approach the winter break, an exciting friendly is on the horizon. The soccer fraternity is in for a treat as FC Barcelona will be locking horns against Mexican side Club América. The much-anticipated clash will take place on Thursday, December 21, at 9 p.m. ET. 

Before this unique friendly, Barcelona will take on Almeria today for their La Liga fixture. Then Xavi’s side will fly to the 90,000-seater Cotton Bowl Stadium, Dallas, to play the Christmas friendly. FC Barcelona are currently third in the La Liga standings, while Club América just won their record 14th Liga MX title this week, defeating Tigres in the finals.

Expected starting XI for FC Barcelona vs Club América

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Barcelona will look to stick with their traditional 4-3-3 formation.  

FC Barcelona- Inaki Pena, Joao Cancelo, Jules Kounde, Alejandro Balde, Fermin Lopez, Ilkay Gundogan, Sergi Roberto, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, Joao Felix. 

However, Club America will also look to keep things unchanged and go for a 4-2-3-1 setup. 

Club América- Luis Malagón, Luis Fuentes, Miguel Layún, Igor Lichnovsky, Sebastián Cáceres, Jonathan Dos Santos, Diego Valdés, Alejandro Zendejas, Álvaro Fidalgo, Henry Martín, Julián Quiñones. 

Injury update for Barca and Cremas

Speaking of injuries, Xavi won’t be able to use the likes of Gavi, Inigo Martinez, Marc Andre Ter Stegen, and Marcos Alonso. Besides, Ronaldo Araujo is also spared due to injury concerns. However, this has opened space for a few youngsters including Marc Guiu, Mikayil Faye, Pau Cubarsi, etc.

Meanwhile, there are no injury concerns for América. 

Predictions for Barcelona vs Club América

Before venturing into predictions, it’s crucial to evaluate the recent form of both teams. Let’s take a quick look at the performance history of each team over the last 10 matches.

Barcelona: DLWDWWLWDW 

Club America: WDLWWDDWWW

Club América has shown great resiliency in recent performances, as they have lost just one match. On the flip side, Barcelona’s performance is relatively mixed, not reaching the heights of excellence but also not falling into poor form. While the Mexican side is coming off an emphatic 3-0 victory against Tigres, the Catalans are coming off a shocking draw against Valencia.

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Looking at the head-to-head records, the previous time these two club giants locked horns was in the 2006 Club World Cup Semi-Final where the Blaugrana emerged victorious by 4-0.

Taking these factors into consideration, our prediction leans toward a closely contested match with a 2-2 draw. However, in the event of a penalty shootout, Barcelona is anticipated to emerge victorious over Club América.

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Where to watch FC Barcelona vs Club América? 

Fans in the USA and the United Kingdom can catch the action live on TBC. Others can also tune in to Barca TV+. Tickets for the Barcelona-Club América match are still accessible at the last minute through platforms such as Vivid Seats, StubHub, and SeatGeek.

Who do you predict will win the match? Let us know in the comments.

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