Barcelona play their biggest game of the 2019-20 season so far on Sunday night when they take on Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano.
The Catalan giants will go into this important fixture after a confident 3-1 win over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League this past mid-week.
Ernesto Valverde’s team are only second to Real Madrid in the Spanish Primera Liga table, as Los Blancos won their game earlier today. The Blaugrana are three points ahead of Sunday’s opponents.
The last time these two sides played at the Wanda Metropolitano in the league, it was a 1-1 draw.
Barcelona Team News
Ousmane Dembele is the latest injury absentee for Barca, and he will reportedly be out for 10 weeks following his thigh injury in the game against Dortmund.
Nelson Semedo will also miss the game due to a calf injury, while Sergio Busquets is suspended and will not make the Barcelona lineup. Jordi Alba is a doubt, having missed several games due to a muscle injury.
Let’s take a look at Barcelona’s lineup for the game against Atletico Madrid:
Predicted Barcelona Lineup vs Atletico Madrid
Goalkeeper
Marc-André ter Stegen should remain in the Barcelona lineup, having played all 13 games for Barca in the league this season. He could have a busy game against Atleti.
Defence
Gerard Pique missed the mid-week Champions League clash due to a suspension, which could be a blessing in disguise, as he will be fresh for this key game. He should start in defence alongside Clément Lenglet.
Alba’s injury means that Junior Firpo should get another start at left-back in the Barcelona lineup. Semedo is out due to an injury, but Barca have Sergi Roberto returning from a league suspension and he should start at right-back.
Midfield
Barca will miss the experience and leadership of Sergio Busquets in the middle of the park, who is suspended for the game.
Ivan Rakitc and Frenkie de Jong started in midfield alongside Busquets in mid-week, but we could see Rakitic drop to the bench, with Arturo Vidal coming in to replace him in the Barcelona lineup.
Valverde may not use the 4-2-3-1 system that he used last weekend, and could revert to a three-man midfield. Arthur was on the bench for the Dortmund game, but he should start in midfield in this game.
Attack
Dembele’s injury means that Antoine Griezmann will start for Barcelona, after being dropped for the Champions League tie. This will be the first time that Griezmann plays against his former side. Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez should also start.
