Captain Lionel Messi and striker Antoine Griezmann are two of four Barcelona players at risk of picking up a one-match suspension for yellow card accumulation.
Midfielder Frenkie de Jong and young center-back Oscar Mingueza are also both one booking away from an automatic ban and will need to be careful in the team’s remaining six La Liga games of the season.
Messi and De Jong have been walking the disciplinary tightrope for some time and have now been joined by Griezmann and Mingueza after both players were booked in Sunday’s 2-1 win at Villarreal.
Coach Ronald Koeman will hope his players can be careful in the last few games of the season with some key matches on the horizon. Barca plays Granada next on Thursday and then faces Valencia and Atletico Madrid.
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La Liga Title Race Hots Up
The title race in La Liga enjoyed another twist over the weekend with results going in Barcelona’s favor. The Catalan giants beat Villarreal 2-1, while title rivals and league leaders Atletico lost at Athletic, and Real Madrid drew 0-0 at home to Real Betis.
The result means that Barcelona will move top of the table with just five games left to play with a win over Granada at the Camp Nou on Thursday. If Ronald Koeman’s men do beat Granada they will also be able to draw with Atletico and still win the title as long as the team wins its other four games.
✨ 73 points – @atletienglish
✨ 71 points – @realmadriden
✨ 71 points – @FCBarcelona
✨ 70 points – @SevillaFC_ENG
Who’ll win #LaLigaSantander 2020/21? 🔮
Barca has been in superb form since the turn of the year which has helped reignite a title challenge that looked highly unlikely back in January. Koeman’s men have taken 46 points out of a possible 51 in 2021 to bring the title back into view.
Koeman Talks ‘Big Step’ Towards Title
Koeman spoke about his team’s title hopes after seeing his Barca come from behind to beat Villarreal at the Estadio de la Ceramica on Sunday thanks to two goals from striker Antoine Griezmann.
The Dutchman said his team still has a long way to go and can expect some difficult challenges between now and the end of the campaign, as reported by Marca.
“It’s a big step towards the title. Each win is a step in the right direction. Each game is difficult. We reacted well to going behind and created chances, he said. “We know that, with six games to go, if we win all six, we’re going to be champions. But I think our opponents are going to make life difficult. We’ve still got to play Atletico. There’s a long way to go, but we’re going to give everything to try to win.”
Griezmann also offered his thoughts to Movistar after his two goals and urged his team to win all six remaining La Liga fixtures, as reported by Diario Sport.
“We will try to win all our games, it’s the only way to become champions. It won’t be easy, but we have the squad to achieve it,” he said. “We are behind and we have to give everything to win the league.”
Barca has already picked up the Copa del Rey in 2020-21 and approaches the last few games with confidence and real momentum after a huge turnaround in form following a poor start to the campaign.
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Messi & Griezmann Among Four Barcelona Players at Risk of Ban