Ferran, De Jong start in a 4-3-3: How Barcelona could line up against Valencia

Barcelona will lock horns with Valencia on Saturday in a contest that has been termed a ‘final’ by manager Xavi Hernandez.

After back-to-back defeats against Girona and Royal Antwerp over the past week, the Blaugrana find themselves under intense scrutiny and need to turn things around at the earliest.

Considering the situation, it makes sense for Xavi & co. to see tomorrow’s game as a final of sorts as a slip-up could prove catastrophic.

The reigning champions are already seven points behind current La Liga leaders Girona and another misstep here could spell an early goodbye to any hopes of successfully defending the title.

Barcelona have been boosted by the return of Frenkie de Jong who missed the last game against Royal Antwerp due to a fever.

However, the Catalans will be without defender Marcos Alonso who is still dealing with a back issue, while Inigo Martinez, Gavi, and Marc-andre ter Stegen are all still injured.

Ahead of the clash against Valencia at the Mestalla, here’s how Barcelona could line up as they look to bounce back to winning ways.

Starters

With Ter Stegen still out on the sidelines, Iñaki Peña will continue to man the Barcelona goal on Saturday.

There will be some notable changes in the defensive lineup after the game against Royal Antwerp.

Joao Cancelo will return to the starting XI after getting a breather in the last match. The Portuguese international will take his place in the right-back position. Meanwhile, Alejandro Balde will slot in as the left-back and will be eager to prove himself.

Jules Kounde has had a poor couple of matches and as such is likely to be dropped tomorrow by Xavi, with captain Ronald Araujo returning to the side after being rested against Antwerp. The Uruguayan should have Andreas Christensen as his partner at the heart of the defence.

Wholesale changes are expected in the centre of the park, with none of the players that started in the midweek game expected to retain their places in the team.

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

Author : Michel Durant

Publish date : 2023-12-15 19:52:43

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