Barcelona will take on Athletic Bilbao in their next La Liga fixture as they seek to return to the top four after dropping down to sixth following results on Saturday.
The Blaugrana have shown some serious signs of improvement in the past few weeks. To go with their progress, they dominated the crucial away leg against Napoli in the Europa League Round of 32.
Xavi’s men are starting to keep hold of the ball for long durations and pose a serious threat in front of the goal. Their new signings have made an instant impact and the current Barca team looks very different from the one that took on Athletic Bilbao last month.
Athletic Bilbao, on the other hand, are in the eighth position and could be looking to gain an outside chance of advancing to European football. Marcelino Toral’s men have been inconsistent in the league. The Los Leones though, have won three from their last five La Liga outings and would be looking to add another crucial win at Camp Nou, on Sunday.
Barcelona will start as the favourites for this clash, based on their current form. A win on Sunday will solidify their hold on the fourth position, and take them three points clear of Atletico Madrid.
Barcelona Team News
The Los Cules will be delighted because Dani Alves’s suspension is over and he will be back for this game. Memphis Depay and Clement Lenglet have also trained with the team ahead of the fixture and are likely to feature from the bench.
Jordi Alba is suspended for this match and Sergino Dest will take his place. Ansu Fati, Samuel Umtiti, Alejandro Balde, and Sergi Roberto have been ruled out of the game on Sunday.
Predicted Barcelona Lineup vs Athletic Bilbao (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper
Marc Andre Ter Stegen had a game to forget against Napoli but is expected to retain his place in the Barcelona lineup. Ter Stegen has been Xavi’s undisputed starter and will start between the sticks.
Defenders
With Jordi Alba suspended, Sergino Dest will play as the left-back in the Barcelona lineup. Dani Alves will return to the playing XI and will play at right-back. Ronald Araujo is likely to be given rest and Eric Garcia will take his place. Gerard Pique will partner Eric Garcia at the heart of the defence.
Midfielders
Sergio Busquets is expected to play as the holding midfielder. Frenkie De Jong and Pedri are in contention to start as the central midfielders with De Jong playing on the right. Riqui Puig looked good in the sparingly available time he got in the game against Napoli. As a result, he is in line to come on as a substitute. Nico has also looked convincing in the last few weeks. Thus, Xavi will rely on him in the second half.
Attackers
Ferran Torres is in line for some much-needed rest and Ousmane Dembele will replace him on the left flank. Dembele and Dest complemented each other very well, against Valencia. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang start as the number nine in this game. Adama Traore will play on the right flank.
Xavi will go with a pace-heavy front three and Dembele and Adama as pure wingers. This will allow the former La Liga champions to launch devastating attacks on the break.
Memphis Depay is Barca’s top scorer in La Liga and is fit for this game. Expect him to make an appearance in the second half.
