Cancelo, ter Stegen start in a 4-3-3: How Barcelona could lineup against Granada

Coming off two wins on the bounce, Barcelona will hope to build on this run when they host Granada at the Olympic Saint Montjuic tomorrow for La Liga matchday 24.

While still an absurdly short sample size, Barcelona’s performances seem to have improved since Xavi’s announced his decision to leave the club at the end of the season. Almost as if the players feel guilty about it.

Either way, with a crucial Champions League tie against Napoli on the horizon, Barça will be looking to put pressure on Girona and Real Madrid, both of whom are currently sitting above them in La Liga.

And as far as Granada are concerned, Alexander Medina’s side are sitting 19th in the table, just six points above rock bottom Almeria. Part of their six draws, however, was the game that finished 2-2 against Barcelona themselves.

In fact, Barça have not won any of their last four games against the Andalusian outfit, with the last win coming in the 2020/21 Copa del Rey quarter-finals in a thrilling 3-5 encounter.

Boosted by the return of a couple vital players, the Catalans will be hoping to put these ghosts behind them tomorrow, with the predicted lineup looking something like this:

Defence: MATS back

The biggest news ahead of this game is the return of Marc-Andre ter Stegen. The German was sidelined since November, but is expected to return directly into the starting lineup tomorrow.

Ahead of him, we can predict Joao Cancelo to take over the left-back position, with Alejandro Balde out of action for the rest of the season. The Portuguese will be joined by Jules Kounde on the right.

Ronald Araujo’s been far from his best, but as one of the leaders of the side, his starting position in the team is far from in doubt. He should take charge of central defence, for the first time in a while without the captain’s armband.

The final piece of the back-four will likely be Pau Cubarsi. La Masia’s biggest defensive prospect since Gerard Pique himself, the 17-year-old seems…

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Author : Udhav Arora

Publish date : 2024-02-10 17:31:00

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