Barcelona will look to return to their place at the top of the La Liga table after Sevilla toppled them last week. They will face Villareal at Nou Camp in their next encounter and will look to bag all three points to regain their place at the top of the La Liga standings.
The Blaugrana were unable to get more than one point from their last fixture against Atletico Madrid, which saw them slip down to the second place in the league table. However, Ernesto Valverde’s men would look to make the most of their home advantage.
Team News
Samuel Umtiti once again picked up a knock after his return to the first team against Atletico Madrid and would be unavailable for the match against Villareal. Among the other first-team stars who will not play any part in the next game, the absence of Luis Suarez, Sergi Roberto and Rafinha would pile on the pressure for Valverde regarding team selection.
Goalkeeper
Marc Andre Ter Stegen was in good form against PSV in the last match in the Champions League and would look to keep another clean sheet in the next match as well.
Defence
In the absence of Umtiti, Clement Lenglet will partner Gerard Pique in the heart of the backline and would look to guard the Barcelona goal against the opposition attackers. Nelson Semedo will once again start in the right back position replacing Sergi Roberto in the process. Jordi Alba would look to put in a shift from the left.
Midfield
Arturo Vidal is expected to start in central midfield alongside Ivan Rakitic while Arthur will remain on the bench. Sergio Busquets will play his part from the defensive midfield position and would look to build the play from the back.
Attack
With no Luis Suarez available to lead the line for the Blaugrana, Lionel Messi will have to take the onus to score for his side against Villareal. Ousmane Dembele will put in his shift from the right as the wide attacker, and the left side will be marshalled by Philippe Coutinho, who would look to make it as difficult as possible for the visitors.
Predicted Formation: 4-3-3
