Barcelona suffered a shock defeat over the weekend against Levante, which allowed two other teams – Real Madrid and Real Sociedad, to draw level on points in La Liga.
The Catalans have the opportunity to get back in form in mid-week in the Champions League when they face off against Slavia Prague at Nou Camp. Barcelona are top of Group F in the Champions League, winning two of their three games.
They won a tight contest against Slavia Prague last time around in the Champions League, winning the away trip 2-1. Manager Ernesto Valverde could make quite a few changes to the team following their La Liga loss.
Let’s take a look at the Barcelona lineup for the match against Slavia Prague.
PREDICTED BARCELONA LINEUP vs SLAVIA PRAGUE (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper
Marc-André ter Stegen will be in goal in the Barcelona lineup against Slavia. He will want a cleansheet following the three goals he let in against Levante.
Defence
Gerard Pique and Clément Lenglet were poor at the heart of the defence for Barcelona over the weekend in La Liga, as the Catalans stumbled against Levante. Samuel Umtiti is still out with an injury and won’t be fit for the Champions League tie which means that Pique and Lenglet will most likely start in the Champions League as well.
Jordi Alba should return to the side at left-back, having dropped to the bench for the La Liga game due to a knock that he got a week ago. He will replace Sergi Roberto, who played at right-back against Levante. Nélson Semedo should move from left-back to right-back in the Barcelona lineup.
Midfield
Sergio Busquets was given a rest for the La Liga game and it didn’t work for Barca. They missed his experience and presence in the midfield and he could return against Slavia.
Arthur Melo will miss the game which will see Arturo Vidal and Frenkie de Jong form the 3-man midfield alongside the experienced Spaniard.
Attack
Luis Suarez will miss the Champions League tie after going off with an injury against Levante. Ousmane Dembélé could replace him, playing from the left side, with Antoine Griezmann taking Suarez’s position in the Barcelona lineup and Lionel Messi starting from the right.
