La Liga 2 is looking more competitive than ever this season as there are so many teams that will be competing to make it into the top flight with giants like Real Madrid and Barcelona. One team that has a strong link to Barca is their second team, Barcelona B, and they travel to face Numancia as they look to move up the table. The hosts are going strong so far and currently occupy second place, just one point below league leaders, Osasuna. The visitors have struggled to put a good run of results together and they are 15^th but they can go 9^th if they win their game-in-hand.

STATS

• Despite being second in the table, Numancia have only won four of their eight games with two losses and two draws. Losses against Zaragoza (in their last match) and Reus were particularly disappointing as they were easily winnable fixtures but wins against title challengers, Huesca and Sporting Gijon were brilliant and showed their capabilities of working towards the title.
• With three draws, two wins and two losses from their opening seven games, the best word to describe Barcelona B’s start to the campaign would be average. The two wins against Cordoba and Valladolid were good but losses against Lugo and Tenerife were disappointing.  A 1-1 draw with Oviedo in their last match was a huge missed opportunity as they could’ve taken all three points.
• Pere Milla has been in top form so far this term for Numancia and with four goals. The Spanish forward will be looking to add at least one more goal to this tally against Barcelona B.
• There are two players in the Barcelona B side who have taken the role as top goal scorer. Carles Alena and Jose Arnaiz have both scored three for the Catalan side this season.

HEAD TO HEAD

The recent meetings between the two sides have been very equal. In the last five matches, both teams have won two while the other ended as a 1-1 draw. The last meeting was three seasons ago and the hosts, Numancia narrowly won 1-0. Both teams scored in just one of these matches and three of them ended as 1-0 wins.

NUMANCIA NEWS

A win for Numancia would put them top of the league for at least a day. They only have one player who is out through injury as Inigo Perez is still nursing a hamstring injury.

Latest matches: Numancia CD

08.10.2017	LaLi	Real Zaragoza	Numancia CD	3:0	L
30.09.2017	LaLi	Numancia CD	Albacete Balompie	5:1	W
24.09.2017	LaLi	Cadiz CF	Numancia CD	0:0	D
19.09.2017	Copa	Sporting Gijon	Numancia CD	2:4	W
16.09.2017	LaLi	Numancia CD	Sporting Gijon	3:0	W

BARCELONA B NEWS

The visitors need a win desperately if they hope to make it into the top half, otherwise, they could be dragged into a relegation dogfight. They have several players missing for the clash and David Concha, Alberto Varo and José Antonio Martinez have been added to the injury list in the last few weeks.

Latest matches: Barcelona B FC

08.10.2017	LaLi	Barcelona B FC	Real Oviedo	1:1	D
25.09.2017	LaLi	Barcelona B FC	CD Lugo	1:2	L
17.09.2017	LaLi	Alcorcon AD	Barcelona B FC	1:1	D
09.09.2017	LaLi	Barcelona B FC	Cordoba CF	4:0	W
01.09.2017	LaLi	Granada CF	Barcelona B FC	2:2	D

SUMMARY

With their home advantage and superior squad, it is undoubtedly Numancia’s match to lose and they should be picking up all three points against an inferior Barcelona B side. They should go top with a comfortable win over Barcelona B, who have been struck with several injuries and the visitors could find themselves in a worse position than where they already are. The Catalan side aren’t expected to cause an upset as they have struggled against the higher rated teams in the division.