Racing Santander return to the Spotify Camp Nou on Tuesday to face the league leaders, a Barcelona side on a five-game winning streak. The Cantabrian team's visit comes fifteen years after their last match at the blaugrana fortress, a 3-0 defeat in the 2011-12 season with goals from Xavi and Leo Messi.
The side coached by José Alberto López faces the match with three significant absences. Midfielder André Almeida is suspended after seeing a red card in the last league match. They are joined on the sidelines by forward Andrés Martín, with a knee problem, and defender Simon Eriksson, affected by tendinopathy in his right shoulder.
Racing's last victory at Barcelona's ground dates back to 1983, and their historical record shows only two away wins. Their last success against Barça was in 2004, at El Sardinero. The most recent meeting between the two was in January, in the Copa del Rey round of 16, where Barcelona won 0-2 with goals from Ferran Torres and Lamine Yamal.
The main attacking threat for Racing is Yassir Zabiri, on loan from Stade de Rennes. The forward has scored five goals in the first five matchdays, including a hat-trick against Elche, and netted a brace in the win over Alavés. The green-and-white team arrives with seven points from a possible fifteen.
Pol Rubia humanes, a Racing player, summed up the club's moment. "After many years of hardship, mud football and 15 years of waiting, Racing de Santander returns to the Spotify Camp Nou," he said.
Barcelona, for their part, leads La Liga with a perfect record: fifteen points from fifteen. Their last result was a 2-4 win at Levante, a match in which Lamine Yamal scored twice. Hansi Flick's team has Raphinha as the top scorer this season with six goals.
Among Barcelona's injured players are Frenkie de Jong, Roony Bardghji, Gerard Martín and Jesse Bisiwu, absences the coach must manage in a busy schedule.
First reported at Mundo Deportivo
