Things are looking absolutely peachy for Barcelona in the injury department as they head to El Madrigal to face in-form Villarreal.
The news coming out of the Barcelona camp is that manager Luis Enrique has an almost completely injury free side to work with. According to the official club website, the only player unavailable is Dutch keeper Jasper Cillessen, who is out with a Soleus injury.
This means that Enrique is likely to field his first choice starting XI against the Yellow Submarine, who are proving to be no pushovers in La Liga this season.
The attacking trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr. and Luis Suarez will take up the goal-scoring responsibilities. The South American attackers are considered to be the best in the world, and will look to blow Villarreal out of the water.
In the three-man midfield, Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta are almost guaranteed starters. However, the third spot is still up for grabs, with usual incumbent Ivan Rakitic out of favour with manager Enrique these past few weeks.
Barca have a wealth of options in that regard, with the likes of Denis Suarez, Rafinha and Andre Gomes all adept at playing in that position. The Portuguese summer signing Gomes is likely to be given the nod for this game.
From the defensive perspective, German shotstopper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen is currently the undisputed number one for Barcelona. With Cillessen out, he doesn’t really have competition int hsi department and will surely start this Sunday.
At left-back, Jordi Alba is another more or less guaranteed presence in defence. Right-back Aleix Vidal has gone through some bad moments so far in his Barcelona career, having a fall-out with the club a few months ago, but all seems to have been put right now and the Spaniard is set to start against the Yellow Submarine.
Barcelona are slowly trying to find a replacement for Argentine defender Javier Mascherano, and the closest potential one in Samuel Umtiti is likely to start the game ahead of him this time around. He will partner none other than Mr. Barcelona Gerard Pique, in the center of defence.
