Barcelona's current run of form is very uncharacteristic when you take into consideration what the Blaugrana have done over the last few years. At one point, they seemed to be unbeatable, but with Tito Vilanova away from the team due to medical reasons, the Catalans have been anything but consistent.
Two defeats in just a few days to rivals Real Madrid have football fans wondering if Barcelona's invincible title has finally slipped away, but with Deportivo visiting the Nou Camp on Saturday, the Barcelona players will be hoping they can get back on track.
With AC Milan coming to town in a very important and highly anticipated second leg match, the Spanish giants can not afford another slip up.
After picking up a red card in the last match against Real Madrid, the hosts will be without Victor Valdes. He will not only miss the match against Deportivo, but after appealing the suspension, Valdes has been issued a four match ban.
Another absence for Barcelona will be Xavi, who has been suffering with a muscle injury. Although he will miss Saturday's match, the Spanish international could be fit to take on AC Milan mid-week.
Three losses in their last four matches tell the story for Barcelona at the moment. A significant dip in form is starting to hurt Tito Vilanova's side, but they have more than enough talent to turn things around. Despite their current issues, Barcelona still has an 11 point cushion at the top of the table, but they can not afford to be complacent, or else that lead can disappear quickly.
Defeating a Deportivo side that has not won a game away from home should be just what the doctor ordered for Barcelona. On their third manager of the current campaign, Deportivo has lost their last eight matches in the league.
The visitors arrive at the Nou Camp with problems of their own. Carlos Marchena is suspended and unavailable for this match, while new signing Kaka is injured and unable to play.
Previous Meetings
10-20-12 Deportivo 4-5 Barcelona
05-15-11 Barcelona 0-0 Deportivo
01-08-11 Deportivo 0-4 Barcelona
04-14-10 Barcelona 3-0 Deportivo
12-05-09 Deportivo 1-3 Barcelona
05-30-09 Deportivo 1-1 Barcelona
Prediction
If the last meeting between these two sides is any indication of what to expect on Saturday, at least their will be intensity, entertainment and a lot of goals. Deportivo fought back at home against Barcelona after going down 0-3 in a matter of 30 minutes. Pizzi was on point in that match and the Deportivo manager will be hoping that he can continue his form on Saturday.
Barcelona has struggled to keep opponents off the score-sheet as of late, and although you would expect them to keep Deportivo scoreless on Saturday, it may not be all that easy.
Pizzi will be hungry for goals, considering his side is last in the league and they desperately need to start getting points, or else they will be relegated. While relegation looks inevitable, the visitors know that if there has ever been a chance to take advantage of Barcelona, the time is now.
Will Barcelona be able to put their previous results behind them and take a confident performance into the Champions League clash with AC Milan?
Barcelona 3-1 Deportivo La Coruna
