Barcelona travel to Leganes on Saturday hoping to stretch their lead to seven points at the top of the La Liga table. The Catalans have the opportunity to extend their sixteen matches unbeaten run and with Lionel Messi and company firing on all cylinders, there’s a chance that they might run away with the league title.
In their last match against Sevilla, Paco Alcacer scored a brace to secure a deserved 2-1 victory. The young striker is set to start again for the Catalans and Barca fans will be hoping that his rich vein of form continues.
Ernesto Valverde will once again deploy a 4-3-3 formation to take down the Leganes defence.
4-3-3 Barcelona Predicted Lineup To Face Leganes
Defence
The impressive Marc-André Ter Stegen will once again start in goal for the La Liga table-toppers after having conceded just one goal in the past five games.
Javier Mascherano is likely to be out of this clash so the defensive pairing of Samuel Umtiti and Gerard Pique will once again make the playing eleven.
Both defenders are just a booking away from a one-match suspension. So the central defensive duo need to be careful as a yellow card will see them miss out on the trip to second-placed, Valencia.
Nelson Semedo will continue as the right back while Jordi Alba, who has scored two goals in two games for Spain will once again feature as the left-back.
Midfield
Whatever formation that Valverde opts for, the midfield trio will definitely consist of Ivan Rakitic, Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta.
During the international break, Iniesta played 74 minutes versus Costa Rica and only played the first half against Russia. So the ageing Barcelona legend will be well rested for this clash.
However, the Barcelona manager might have one eye in the Champions League game against Juventus on Wednesday. Hence, he might come up with some surprise additions and give a few of his squad players some game time on Saturday.
Attack
Barcelona boss, Valverde may play Paco Alcacer again after his brace helped Barcelona cruise to a 2-1 victory against Sevilla in the past game week. Luis Suarez didn’t feature during the international break for his country so the Uruguayan striker should be well rested for the trip to Leganes.
The former Liverpool man was working on his fitness over the break and will be hoping that all the hard work will have a positive influence on his form. Barcelona talisman, Lionel Messi is a guaranteed starter and will hope to put his name on the scoresheet ahead of the Juventus game.
