Barcelona face Racing Santander as Yassir Zabiri looks to continue breakthrough La Liga form

FC Barcelona will look to maintain their perfect La Liga start when they host Racing Santander at Camp Nou on Wednesday evening in the sixth round of fixtures.

Hansi Flick’s side lead the table with 15 points, three clear of Real Madrid, while Racing’s encouraging return to the top flight has left them 10th with seven points.

Barcelona have won all five of their league matches, scoring 21 goals in the process. They arrive after a 4-2 victory against Levante, having also beaten Feyenoord 5-1 in their opening fixture of the Champions League league phase.

Raphinha and Lamine Yamal have each scored six La Liga goals this season. Raphinha has particularly impressed in a central role as Barcelona’s attack has become one of the most productive in the division.

The Catalans also have the historical advantage. The teams have met 101 times in all competitions, with Barcelona winning 63 matches compared with 17 victories for Santander. Racing have not beaten Barcelona since January 2004 and have lost their past eight meetings.

Racing arrive with confidence despite the scale of their task. Promoted as Segunda Division champions last season, Jose Alberto Lopez’s team secured a 2-1 win over Alaves in their previous match. Their record after five games stands at two wins, one draw and two defeats.

The visitors have scored nine goals but have also conceded nine, the highest total among the teams currently in the top 11. They have lost both of their league away matches this season and now face their most difficult trip of the campaign.

Barcelona’s league form is V V V V V, while their record in all competitions is V V V V V V. Racing’s recent league sequence reads N D V D V.

Frenkie de Jong and Roony Bardghji remain unavailable for Barcelona with knee injuries. Gerard Martin, who was substituted at half-time against Levante after suffering a cut to his face, is expected to be fit but could be rested, with Andreas Christensen potentially starting instead.

Anthony Gordon is expected to join Raphinha and Lamine Yamal in attack, while Xavi Espart could continue as the stand-in left-back. Racing will be without Simon Eriksson, who has a shoulder injury, knee-injured Andres Martin and suspended Andre Almeida. Sergio Canales is expected to operate in the creative role, with Jose Alberto Lopez considering an unchanged starting XI.

The focus will be on Yassir Zabiri, the 21-year-old Morocco international centre-forward born in Marrakech in 2005 and on loan from Stade Rennais FC. He has scored five goals in five appearances, including a hat-trick against Elche and a decisive two-goal display against Deportivo Alaves.

Barcelona’s predicted XI is J. Garcia; E. Garcia, Cubarsi, Christensen, Espart; Pedri, Rodri, Fermin; Gordon, Raphinha, Yamal.

Racing Santander’s predicted team is Agirrezabala; Mantilla, Ramon, Belocian, Salinas; Martin, Prati; Garcia, Canales, Vicente; Zabiri.

Barcelona are forecast to win 3-1, with the visitors expected to score despite the hosts’ greater attacking strength. The suggested selections are Barcelona and more than 3.5 goals at 1.30, both teams to score at 1.66, and Lamine Yamal to score at 1.55. The correct-score price for a 3-1 Barcelona victory is 9.50.