Barcelona will travel to the Mestalla Stadium to face off against Valencia on Saturday hoping to consolidate their place at the top of the La Liga standings. The Catalans will come into this contest on the back of 2-1 win over Ibiza in the Copa del Rey.
Quique Setién will once again opt for a 3-1-4-2 formation and might make a few changes to his side for this weekend’s clash on the road.
3-1-4-2 Barcelona Predicted Lineup To Face Valencia
Defence
Marc Andre ter Stegen is a minor doubt for this clash, but he should be ready in time to face Valencia this weekend. Setien might choose to go with a back three yet again so we can expect to see Sergi Roberto, Gerard Pique and Samuel Umtiti play at the back.
The Catalans have kept just one clean sheet in their past five matches across all competitions. Therefore, Setien will be desperate to see his defenders keep things stable in defence when they travel to Valencia later this week.
Midfield
Sergio Busquets will line up as the holding midfielder as he sits back in midfield and protects the Barca backline by making some crucial interceptions for his side. Both Ivan Rakitic and Frenkie de Jong will play as the box to box midfielders as they focus on orchestrating some inviting goal-scoring chances for the front players.
Jordi Alba will try to use his pace to run up and down the left flank while Ansu Fati keeps his place on the other side as the right-winger. Setien will instruct his midfielders to dominate the ball and play with a high tempo so that they can carve out some decent scoring opportunities in the final third.
Arthur Melo is a minor concern ahead of his game so he might feature on the bench if he can pass a late fitness test.
Attack
Antoine Griezmann will resume his striking partnership with Lionel Messi up top. Messi was rested in midweek so he should be fresh and ready to wreak havoc against Valencia on Saturday. Carles Perez will be available for selection on the Barca bench and might come to make an impact in the second half if Setien decides to call upon his services.
