Barcelona to Continue Its Winning Streak

Barcelona appear poised to continue their perfect start in their title defense campaign as they host Racing Santander in the first league meeting between the two sides since March 2012. Under German coach Hansi Flick, the team emerged victorious in all five opening La Liga matches, most recently on Sunday with a 4-2 win over host Levante, thanks to a brace from their young star Lamine Yamal. This result leaves them alone at the top of the table, three points clear of their rivals and runners-up, Real Madrid. The Catalan side, which also secured a 5-1 victory over Dutch club Feyenoord in the opening stages of their UEFA Champions League campaign last midweek, has scored 21 goals in five La Liga matches, averaging more than four goals per game. Although Santander has enjoyed a promising start to their return to the top flight for the first time since 2012, collecting seven points from five matches, it will be extremely difficult for them to upset their Catalan hosts, who have not lost to them since a 3-0 defeat in January 2004. The two teams met last season in the Round of 16 of the domestic cup, where Barcelona secured their eighth consecutive win over their opponents (2-0) and their fifteenth victory in the last 18 encounters, extending their unbeaten run. While Barcelona has taken maximum points so far with five wins, their defensive fragility was exposed on Sunday when Levante reduced the deficit from 3-0 to 3-2 in the final minutes. The match was ultimately settled by German substitute Karim Adeyemi, who scored a brilliant individual goal for Barcelona in stoppage time.