Barcelona will entertain Valencia at the Nou Camp on Sunday night as they try to secure a victory in front of their home fans. The Catalans suffered a disappointing 2-0 defeat at the hands of Atletico Madrid last weekend which will definitely drain their confidence ahead of this weekend’s encounter against José Bordalás’ men.
Ronald Koeman could choose to opt for a 4-2-3-1 formation and will be forced to make some changes to his first XI for this game. The Dutch head coach could hand starts to Sergi Roberto, Ansu Fati and Riqui Puig versus Valencia this weekend.
4-2-3-1 Barcelona Predicted Lineup Vs Valencia
Defence
Marc-André ter Stegen will play as Barca’s first-choice keeper once again after he conceded a couple of goals in his last league appearance. Gerard Pique could feature alongside Oscar Mingueza at the heart of Koeman’s defence as they hope to keep things solid at the back this Sunday night.
Sergi Roberto could get the nod to fill in at right-back while Sergiño Dest assumes the duties of a makeshift left-back. Both of them will have to defend well and also offer some support to the front players from the wide areas.
Ronald Araujo will be sidelined for this game with a hamstring injury. However, Clement Lenglet will be available for selection on the bench and could come on to make an impact in the second half if needed.
Midfield
Sergio Busquets and Riqui Puig will anchor the midfield for Barca as they try to dominate the ball and engineer a few clear-cut chances in the Valencia half. The dangerous trio of Ansu Fati, Philippe Coutinho and Frenkie de Jong will operate just ahead of them as part of Koeman’s attack. All three of them will have to carry most of the creative workload for Barca in the final third.
Pedri will definitely be sidelined for this game because of a muscle injury. Hence, Gavi will have to be content with a spot on the bench as he waits for his chance to influence the game in the latter stages if required.
Attack
Memphis Depay will once again play as Koeman’s primary centre-forward up top. The Dutch forward will have to find the back of the net if the home team are to have a chance of earning a positive result at the Nou Camp.
