La Liga giants Barcelona suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Spanish minnows Levante at the weekend. They will be looking to bounce back when they welcome Slavia Prague to the Nou Camp on Tuesday night. Despite Lionel Messi’s best attempts to make something out of the game, Barcelona ended the night with nothing to show for their efforts.
Although the scoreline at the end was 3-1, the Barcelona defence capitulated under pressure, which means that against a better team, it could’ve been five or six goals, instead of the three. The Czech side are yet to register their first win of this season’s Champions League, meaning that they could see the trip to Camp Nou as a good opportunity, especially considering the form that Barcelona have been showing of late.
Team News
Barcelona could be coming into this tie without Luis Suarez, who went off injured in the opening stages of their La Liga defeat to Levante. It will come as positive news for the French winger Ousmane Dembele, who has been out of favour at the Camp Nou ever since he picked up a suspension in La Liga. Despite being available, he wasn’t part of the squad that travelled to Levante, and could hence expect to start in midweek.
Jordi Alba is another player who played no part in Barca’s weekend encounter, and could hence return to the starting lineup. Although Ansu Fati impressed after coming on last week, he will have to do with a place on the bench as well. Samuel Umtiti was on the sidelines against Levante, after making good strides to recover from his knee injury.
Formation: 4-3-3
Defence
Marc Andre Ter Stegen is the only defensive player who deserves any respect after Barcelona’s latest league defeat and is effectively guaranteed to keep his place in the team. In front of him, Ernesto Valverde is expected to stick to the same centre-half pairing that capitulated at Levante, only hoping for a better outcome this time around.
Nelson Semedo was one of Barcelona’s better players in the first half against Levante and should keep his place in the team, based solely on merit. Across on the other flank, Sergi Roberto put up a horrendous display and could drop down to the Catalan bench, to be replaced by the veteran full-back Jordi Alba.
Midfield
One of the only shining lights in what was a dark day against Levante, Frenkie De Jong showed why Barcelona paid so much money to bring him to Catalonia. The youngster controlled the pace of the game in the first half, and although he fell away in the second, he showed glimpses of quality for the entirety of the tie.
Arthur and the second half substitute Sergio Busquets will both be looking to redeem themselves in front of the Barcelona fans when they start against Slavia Prague in midweek. Although the former wasn’t all that bad, the latter’s substitute performance was extremely questionable, especially considering the vast experience that he possesses.
Attack
With Luis Suarez now injured indefinitely, Ernesto Valverde’s issues are starting to mount. Despite this, expect to see the familiar faces of both Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann, with young star Ansu Fati likely to take Suarez’s place in the side. Whether or not this trio can deliver the goods for Barcelona, remains to be seen.
