Borussia Monchengladbach will host mighty and high-flying Barcelona at Borussia Park on Wednesday in the second game of the Champions League group stage. The visitors started their Champions League campaign in a rampant manner with a 7-0 thrashing of Scottish champions Celtic whereas Borussia Monchengladbach were brushed aside by Manchester City with ease as the game finished 4-0 in favour of the Sky Blues.
Barcelona have made a habit of having routs this season and this Saturday was not an exception. Even without Lionel Messi, the Catalan giants thrashed Sporting Gijon 5-0 and that too away from home. Neymar scored a brace while Suarez, Rafinha and Turan scored one goal each. Gladbach have won two of their last three games since the 4-0 loss to Manchester City and will be looking to upset the 5-time Champions League winners.
With Manchester City taking on Celtic in the other group stage game, Barcelona will be keen to score as many as they can in order to win the group as goal difference could prove to be the decider. Here is the predicted Barcelona lineup against Borussia Monchengladbach.
Defence
Marc-Andre ter Stegen will keep his place under the bar ahead of Jasper Cillessen. We expect Sergi Roberto to keep his place in the right-back position. Gerard Pique should start at the heart of the defence alongside Javier Mascherano. Jordi Alba got a much-deserved rest against Sporting Gijon and will be fresh as he starts in the left-back position replacing Lucas Digne.
Midfield
No matter how much Luis Enrique tries to rotate his side, Sergio Busquets is always a regular starter in the regista role. The Spanish international was one of the key players who started against Sporting Gijon. The 28-year-old will keep his place against the German contingent. Skipper Andres Iniesta will be back into the starting XI as he starts as one of two central midfielders. Ivan Rakitic, a pivotal player for the Blaugrana, was also rested against Sporting Gijon just like Iniesta. The Croat will return to the starting XI. Iniesta and Rakitic will provide the legs and creativity in the middle of the park.
Attack
Rafinha got a chance to prove himself in Messi’s absence and he did not let his manager down. The 23-year-old should retain his place on the right flank. Neymar is an undisputed choice on the left flank and the same goes for Luis Suarez also as the Uruguayan international spearheads Luis Enrique’s attack.
