Barcelona are set to resume their La Liga campaign with a derby clash against Espanyol at Camp Nou on Saturday.
Bragging rights will be at stake for the Blaugrana, who are leading the league table following a superb start to their domestic season. They are two points above arch-rivals Real Madrid at the top after the completion of 14 games.
Xavi Hernandez and co. entered the break with a 2-1 away win over Osasuna, and Barcelona will be hoping to pick up from where they left off at the weekend.
Barcelona Team News
In what is a timely boost for Barcelona ahead of the Catalan derby, Ousmane Dembele returned to the club on Monday and is set to be available for selection. Dembele was involved in the World Cup final earlier this month, starting for France that lost to Argentina in the penalty shootout. With Dembele’s arrival, Jules Kounde remains the only player missing for the club.
Robert Lewandowski is suspended having picked up two yellow cards against Osasuna in the last game. In fact, the Polish striker is banned for three games and will miss the clashes with Espanyol, Atletico and Getafe.
Ronald Araujo, meanwhile, has started participating in the training sessions with the rest of the group after continuing his recovery from a thigh problem, but whether Xavi picks him in the squad to face Espanyol remains to be seen.
Predicted Barcelona Lineup vs Espanyol (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper
Marc Andre Ter-Stegen is Barcelona’s undisputed No.1 and should don the gloves against Espanyol.
Defence
Lining up in a 4-3-3 formation, Andreas Christensen could form the centre-back pairing with Eric Garcia. With Jules Kounde’s participation unlikely after playing in the World Cup final for France, Alejandro Balde could deputise for the Frenchman at right-back. This opens the door for Jordi Alba to start at left-back.
Barcelona’s entire backline unit must stay focussed throughout the game and defend well in order to earn a clean sheet against their Catalan rivals.
Midfield
Sergio Busquets will feature in his usual defensive midfield role as he tries to take control of the game from the first minute. Frenkie de Jong and Pedri will operate as box-to-box midfielders, looking to dictate the tempo of the match. They will provide creativity and energy to help Barcelona dominate Espanyol in the middle of the park.
Gavi and Franck Kessie have to settle for a place on the bench but they could be brought on in the latter stages of the game if needed.
Attack
With Robert Lewandowski suspended, Xavi could use Ferran Torres as a false 9 against Espanyol. Ansu Fati and Raphinha are expected to take up the wide positions, playing on the left and right wing respectively. Fati and Raphinha both will be determined to engineer some meaningful opportunities for Torres to score in the box.
Ousmane Dembele re-joining the squad on Monday is a big boost as he has the qualities to change the course of the game off the bench.
