Frenkie de Jong and Ansu Fati will return, but Robert Lewandowski will be unavailable when Barcelona and Atletico Madrid face off on Sunday.
Barcelona will hope to open up a gap to Real Madrid at the top of La Liga when they lock horns with Atletico Madrid at Civitas Metropolitano on Sunday night. Real Madrid lost to Villarreal on Saturday, and the Blaugrana will have the chance to steer clear of Los Blancos.
Xavi Hernandez does not have any injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. But Barcelona will travel to the capital without two first-team players, with Jordi Alba and Robert Lewandowski suspended. The two players are the only ones missing from the travelling squad.
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During his pre-match press conference, Xavi spoke about coping without Lewandowski in the next three games. The Barcelona boss said, “Both his absence and that of Jordi Alba is very sensitive. We will play with eleven and we will start with a ‘9’. You’ll see tomorrow who it is. We have tried different profiles and tomorrow we’ll make the decision.”
“We have a lot of options in attack. We will adapt to the opposition to attack better, defend better and win the game. Ferran’s work without the ball is very good. People don’t value him, but he helps us in defence, and makes good runs. Ansu is more positional. He’s different… Both can play as a No. 9 and there is also the possibility of Memphis.”
Fati will fill Lewandowski’s void in the final third against Atletico Madrid. The 20-year-old was impressive off the bench against CF Intercity earlier this week. And Fati will spearhead the attack, with Ousmane Dembele and Raphinha joining him in the offensive unit.
As for the midfield department, Xavi will likely ring in the changes, with Pablo Torre, Franck Kessie, and Sergio Busquets dropping to the bench. Frenkie de Jong, Gavi, and Pedri should replace the trio, forming a formidable trifecta in the middle of the park.
Meanwhile, Xavi will make a forced change in the defensive unit, with Alba unavailable. And Alejandro Balde should start as the left-back, with Jules Kounde moving to the right flank. Andreas Christensen should take up Kounde’s vacant spot, forming the central defensive unit with Ronald Araujo joining him. Finally, Marc-Andre ter Stegen will take his spot between the sticks.
Predicted Barcelona XI: ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Christensen, Balde; Gavi, De Jong, Pedri; Raphinha, Torres, Dembele
