Barcelona will travel to the Ipurua Municipal Stadium to face off against Eibar this weekend hoping to close the gap to Real Madrid at the top of the La Liga standings. The Catalans are currently trailing their arch-rivals by just two points so a win on the road would be essential for Ernesto Valverde’s side this weekend. They are coming into this game in good form after securing a dominant 4-0 victory over Sevilla before the international break.
The visitors will stick with their usual 4-3-3 formation with Jordi Alba, Clement Lenglet and Antoine Griezmann set to return to the Barca starting XI for the encounter versus José Luis Mendilibar’s men.
4-3-3 Barcelona Predicted Lineup To Face Eibar
Defence
Marc Andre ter Stegen will lineup in goal for the Catalan outfit after keeping a clean sheet against Sevilla earlier this month. Both Clement Lenglet and Jean-Clair Todibo should get the nod to start against Eibar. The talented duo will focus on putting in a dominant defensive display at the heart of Valverde’s backline. Gerard Pique is suspended for this weekend’s clash due to an excessive accumulation of yellow cards during this campaign.
Nelson Semedo will operate as the right-back as he tries to put in a decent shift in the Eibar half. Jordi Alba should take his place on the other side in the left-back position. The home team has scored ten goals in eight league matches thus far so they will pose a significant threat for the Barca defenders on Saturday.
Midfield
Valverde might go with the strong midfield three of Frenkie de Jong, Arturo Vidal and Arthur Melo so that his side can establish their dominance at the centre of the park. All three midfielders will be responsible for stopping the Eibar attackers and feeding the ball through to the Barca frontline.
Attack
The world-class front three of Antoine Griezmann, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi are expected to start at Ipurua Municipal Stadium this weekend. All three front players will be hungry for goals and are expected to unleash their wrath on the Eibar defence.
However, Ousmane Dembele is suspended for this encounter after he received a red card against Sevilla before the international break.
