Barcelona will lock horns with Osasuna at the Estadio El Sadar on Sunday as they hope to bounce back with a win in La Liga. The Catalan giants suffered a disappointing 3-0 loss at the hands of Bayern Munich in midweek which has drained their confidence ahead of this game.
Xavi could choose to set his team up in a 4-3-3 formation and is expected to make a few tweaks to his starting XI this weekend. Oscar Mingueza will play from the start in the injury absence of Jordi Alba while Clement Lenglet drops to the bench.
4-3-3 Barcelona Predicted Lineup To Face Osasuna
Defence
Marc-André ter Stegen will operate in between the sticks for Barca after shipping in three goals versus Bayern in his last outing. Eric Garcia could get the nod to operate alongside Gerard Pique at the heart of Xavi’s defence. They will both look to defend well so that they can keep a clean sheet on the road.
Ronald Araujo will function at right-back while Oscar Mingueza fills in on the other side as a makeshift left-back. Both of them will have to be at the top of their game if they are to offer enough support to their teammates up top.
Jordi Alba will be sidelined for this game because of a hamstring injury but Clement Lenglet will be named on the bench as he offers cover for the defensive positions.
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Midfield
Frenkie de Jong will play along with Sergio Busquets and Nico Gonzalez at the centre of Xavi’s midfield as they focus on retaining the ball and creating a few decent chances in the final third. All three of them will have to work hard if Barca are to emerge victorious this weekend.
Riqui Puig will have to be content with a place on the bench but could come on to influence the game in the second half if needed.
Attack
Gavi will hope to catch the eye down the left flank while Ousmane Dembele gets another chance to prove his worth as the right-sided wide player. Memphis Depay will lead the charge for the Catalan giants down the middle and is expected to carry most of the goal-scoring workload up top.
Philippe Coutinho will be available for selection on the bench as he waits for his chance to impress in the final quarter of the game if required.
