Barcelona will entertain Eibar at the Nou Camp this Sunday looking to bounce back from their 2-1 defeat at the hands of Levante in midweek. The Catalans chose to play a weakened squad in that game and got punished for taking that gamble. However, Ernesto Valverde is expected to revert back to his strongest XI for this crucial league encounter and might opt to stick with his preferred 4-3-3 formation for this clash.
Rafinha, Sergi Samper, Samuel Umtiti and Thomas Vermaelen will not play any part in this game as they remain long-term casualties for the home team.
4-3-3 Barcelona Predicted Lineup To Face Eibar
Defence
Marc Andre ter Stegen will line up in between the sticks for the Blaugrana while Jasper Cillessen has to be content with a spot on Valverde’s bench. Both Thomas Vermaelen and Samuel Umtiti are currently out of action due to injury, and so Clement Lenglet should retain his position alongside Gerard Pique at the heart of the Catalans defence. Sergi Roberto will play as the right-back after being rested against Levante in midweek. Jordi Alba would hope to use his quickness once again down the left channel to try and create some chances in the opposition half.
The Catalans will need to keep things tight defensively if they are to earn a win at the Nou Camp and maintain their healthy five-point advantage at the top of the La Liga standings.
Midfield
Valverde could opt for the midfield trio of Arthur Melo, Ivan Rakitic and Phillipe Coutinho as he looks to go all out in search of the three points this weekend.
Coutinho registered his name on the scoresheet versus Levante in midweek from the penalty spot which should give him some confidence going into this clash. We can expect all three of them to take turns to join in on the attack as they aim to dominate the midfield against Eibar on Sunday.
Attack
Valverde’s front three would consist of Ousmane Dembele, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi as they look to link up with each other and wreak havoc in the attacking end of the pitch. Messi has a terrific goal-scoring record against Eibar, and so he will be Barcelona’s biggest weapon going forward while the likes of Dembele and Suarez provides support inside the opposition penalty box.
