After an important win against Levante in La Liga over the weekend, Barcelona will turn their attention to the Champions League when they face Portuguese side Benfica on Wednesday.
The Catalan side will need a win to kick-start their European campaign following timid display against Bayern Munich in the first match of the group.
Ronald Koeman will need to keep winning to keep his job and they will be the favourites against Benfica. The last time these two sides met was in the 2012-13 Champions League campaign, and the game ended 0-0.
Team News
Attackers Ousmane Dembele, Sergio Aguero and Martin Braithwaite will miss the game through injury. Left-back Jordi Alba, too, has not been named in the squad. Midfielder Sergi Roberto has been given the all-clear, and Pedri too could feature if not start.
🚨 𝙎𝙌𝙐𝘼𝘿 𝙇𝙄𝙎𝙏 !! 🚨 #BenficaBarça pic.twitter.com/g49azggbsh
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) September 28, 2021
Let’s take a look at the possible Barcelona team for the game against Benfica.
Predicted Barcelona Lineup vs Benfica
Goalkeeper
Marc-Andre ter Stegen will keep his place in the Barcelona lineup against Benfica.
Defence
Koeman could retain the same backline that played against Levante, barring perhaps one change to the centre-back position. Gerard Pique should start at the back, while Ronald Araujo could return to play alongside him, replacing Eric Garcia.
Sergino Dest could continue in the left-back position in Alba’s absence, while Oscar Mingueza should keep his place at right-back in the Barcelona lineup. Clement Lenglet is another option to play alongside Pique.
Midfield
Captain Sergio Busquets should start as the defensive midfielder for the side, while Frenkie de Jong – who missed the weekend’s league game through suspension – should come back into the squad to replace Nico Gonzalez. Barca could play a 4-2-3-1 formation, as they did over the weekend, which could see Philippe Coutinho retain his No. 10 position.
Attack
Gavi played on the right side of attack against Levante and had a solid game. He could play in that role again, while Demir is another option. Memphis Depay and Luuk de Jong will keep their positions in the Barcelona lineup. Both of them played well against Levante and will look to continue the good form.
Ansu Fati scored on his return to the team, but with just 10 minutes under his belt after a long layoff, he will only be used off the bench, perhaps given a little more time on the pitch than last time.
