Barcelona return to the streets around Camp Nou on Sunday with El Clásico waiting, and Gabriel Jesus arrives at the defining fixture of the Spanish calendar carrying a sharp early return from limited minutes. The Brazilian forward has five direct goal contributions in seven appearances for the Catalan club: four goals and one assist.
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Jesus has made only two starts under Hansi Flick, yet has scored in both of them: the 3-0 league win over Getafe and the 5-2 victory away to Real Betis. Across all seven outings, he has played 234 minutes excluding stoppage time, averaging a goal or assist every 46.8 minutes.
His first Barcelona goal came on his Champions League debut against Feyenoord. Introduced in the 38th minute of a heavy win, he scored two minutes later to complete the scoring. That strike took him to 27 Champions League goals, level with Rivaldo and placing him fourth among Brazilian scorers in the competition’s history.
The only assist of his Barcelona spell so far also arrived in Europe. Jesus entered in the 58th minute and set up Adeyemi seven minutes later. His remaining goal came after another substitute appearance, against Racing Santander: he was brought on with 11 minutes left and scored 10 minutes after joining the match during a 7-2 rout.
The output represents the strongest seven-match opening by a Brazilian at Barcelona since Ronaldo. Neymar recorded one goal and three assists in his first seven games for the club, while Ronaldinho produced two goals and one assist over the equivalent period.
Camp Nou awaits the Clásico
Barcelona had to put aside Tuesday’s defeat to Paris Saint-Germain before turning fully towards Real Madrid. Jesus did not take the field against PSG, but he is now in contention to experience El Clásico for the first time.
The match is scheduled for Sunday at Camp Nou, with kick-off at 17:00 Brasília time. Barcelona lead La Liga after nine rounds with nine wins and 27 points, maintaining a perfect record. Real Madrid sit third on 21 points as the two clubs prepare for their meeting in Catalonia.
