Barcelona will lock horns with Valencia on Saturday in a contest that has been termed a ‘final’ by manager Xavi Hernandez.
After back-to-back defeats against Girona and Royal Antwerp over the past week, the Blaugrana find themselves under intense scrutiny and need to turn things around at the earliest.
Considering the situation, it makes sense for Xavi & co. to see tomorrow’s game as a final of sorts as a slip-up could prove catastrophic.
The reigning champions are already seven points behind current La Liga leaders Girona and another misstep here could spell an early goodbye to any hopes of successfully defending the title.
Barcelona have been boosted by the return of Frenkie de Jong who missed the last game against Royal Antwerp due to a fever.
However, the Catalans will be without defender Marcos Alonso who is still dealing with a back issue, while Inigo Martinez, Gavi, and Marc-andre ter Stegen are all still injured.
Ahead of the clash against Valencia at the Mestalla, here’s how Barcelona could line up as they look to bounce back to winning ways.
Starters
With Ter Stegen still out on the sidelines, Iñaki Peña will continue to man the Barcelona goal on Saturday.
There will be some notable changes in the defensive lineup after the game against Royal Antwerp.
Joao Cancelo will return to the starting XI after getting a breather in the last match. The Portuguese international will take his place in the right-back position. Meanwhile, Alejandro Balde will slot in as the left-back and will be eager to prove himself.
Jules Kounde has had a poor couple of matches and as such is likely to be dropped tomorrow by Xavi, with captain Ronald Araujo returning to the side after being rested against Antwerp. The Uruguayan should have Andreas Christensen as his partner at the heart of the defence.
Wholesale changes are expected in the centre of the park, with none of the players that started in the midweek game expected to retain their places in the team.
Instead, Xavi is set to field his first-choice midfield trio of Frenkie de Jong, Ilkay Gundogan, and Pedri against Valencia, with the three players being key to their chances on the day.
Robert Lewandowski has come under a lot of fire after his poor run of form and his particularly listless display against Antwerp. But the 35-year-old is expected to hold on to his place as Barcelona’s No. 9.
On the flanks, Raphinha is expected to replace Lamine Yamal, even though the youngster was one of the bright aspects for Barça on Wednesday vs Antwerp. Ferran Torres, on the other hand, should retain his spot on the left ahead of Joao Felix after scoring in the last game.
Barcelona Predicted Lineup: Pena, Cancelo, Araujo, Christensen, Balde, Frenkie, Gundogan, Pedri, Raphinha, Lewandowski, Ferran.
Substitutes
With goals on his La Liga and Champions League debuts, youngster Marc Guiu is making a strong case for greater involvement with the Barcelona first team. The teenager should come on at some point tomorrow against Valencia.
Lamine Yamal and Fermin Lopez are two more La Masia products who are expected to receive minutes off the bench at the Mestalla, while Joao Felix is also likely to see some action in the second period.
