In under 12 hours, Barcelona will lock horns with arch-rivals Real Madrid in what is very much a must-win encounter for them to stay alive in the La Liga title race.
Barcelona are eight points behind Real Madrid, who sit atop the league table, and a win would help cut that gap to five, allowing them to mount a late title charge.
Conversely, a loss tonight at the Santiago Bernabeu would see them drop 11 points behind Carlo Ancelotti’s men, all but ending any hopes of retaining the league crown.
Xavi Hernandez has a nearly full-strength squad at his disposal for today, with Gavi and Alejandro Balde being the only two absentees for the contest.
Having fielded his best possible starting XI in the game against PSG earlier in the week, the Barcelona manager is unlikely to make many tweaks for tonight’s El Clasico.
Here’s how Barcelona could set up tonight at the Santiago Bernabeu against Carlo Ancelotti’s men.
Starters
Marc-Andre ter Stegen is a guaranteed starter in goal for Barcelona against Real Madrid and will be chasing a personal record for most minutes without conceding a goal in La Liga today.
Ronald Araujo will start at the heart of the Barça defence, looking to redeem himself after his red card against PSG cost the team in a huge way. The Uruguayan will be paired up with Pau Cubarsi, who will make his El Clasico debut.
The full-back slots will remain unchanged as well, with Joao Cancelo slotting in at left-back and Jules Kounde on the right, with the Frenchman looking forward to the challenge of facing Vinicius Jr.
The midfield department is where things get interesting as Xavi will have Andreas Christensen and Sergi Roberto back available after they missed the PSG clash through suspension.
Pedri likely to drop out of the starting XI. (Photo by JOSEP LAGO/AFP via Getty Images)
With Pedri, Ilkay Gundogan, Frenkie de Jong, and Fermin Lopez also available, the manager has to choose three players to start from the aforementioned six.
Given how…
Source link : https://barcauniversal.com/christensen-yamal-start-in-a-4-3-3-how-barcelona-could-line-up-against-real-madrid/
Author : Michel Durant
Publish date : 2024-04-21 08:30:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.