Dembele, de Jong start in a 4-3-3: How Barcelona could line up against Real Madrid

Following their defeat to Arsenal in their first pre-season friendly, FC Barcelona will be aiming to bounce back strongly when they take on arch-rivals Real Madrid later tonight at the AT&T Stadium in Texas.

Barcelona looked scratchy and off-pace in large parts against Arsenal, although it must be remembered that it was only their first game of the pre-season, and a large contingent of the squad had just recovered from a stomach bug.

Real Madrid, meanwhile, come into the game in better shape than Barça, having picked up two wins in two games against AC Milan and Manchester United.

It goes without saying that Xavi Hernandez & co. will be intent on getting one over their eternal rivals, even if it is only a pre-season encounter. The Blaugrana will also be boosted by the return to training of Gavi, who missed the Arsenal game due to a back issue.

Ahead of the pre-season El Clasico, here’s how Barcelona could line up against Real Madrid later tonight in Dallas.

Starters

Marc-Andre ter Stegen has enjoyed a terrific year for Barcelona and should start between the sticks for the La Liga champions tonight. With Sergi Roberto unlikely to play, the German international could captain the team against Real Madrid.

Xavi has often fielded Ronald Araujo on the right side of the defence when Barça face Real Madrid in recent times to tackle the threat of Vinicius Jr. And even though the Brazilian could play a bit more centrally, the Uruguayan is likely to slot in at right-back again tonight.

Alejandro Balde was one of the Blaugrana’s best players in the defeat to Arsenal and should start at left-back, with Andreas Christensen and Jules Kounde featuring as the two centre-halves.

Xavi did not hesitate in deploying four central midfielders in several games during the last season. And he could be forced to do the same tonight to tackle Real Madrid’s numbers in the centre of the park.

Gundogan gets his first taste of a Clasico. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

As…

Source link : https://barcauniversal.com/dembele-de-jong-start-in-a-4-3-3-how-barcelona-could-line-up-against-real-madrid/

Author : Michel Durant

Publish date : 2023-07-29 10:48:36

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.