How Barcelona could line up against Elche

Barcelona will be without a number of important players for Saturday's La Liga clash with Elche.

Ousmane Dembele and Pedri remain on the sidelines with muscular problems, and the duo are not expected to be available for selection until at least the middle of April.

Frenkie de Jong, meanwhile, picked up a hamstring issue during the 2-1 win over Real Madrid before the international break, which will rule him out of the contest with Elche.

Andreas Christensen became the latest Barcelona player to be struck down by injury when he picked up a calf problem while representing Denmark during the international break.

Ronald Araujo's adductor issue that he suffered against Real Madrid is not thought to be serious, and he is in the squad for this match, but the Uruguay international will allegedly not be risked ahead of the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final with Los Blancos next week.

As a result, Eric Garcia and Marcos Alonso could feature in the middle of the defence, with Jordi Alba potentially getting the nod at left-back for the clash with the team at the bottom of the division.

Raphinha will also be missing for Barcelona this weekend due to suspension, which could see both Ferran Torres and Ansu Fati start alongside Robert Lewandowski.

Head coach Xavi also has the option of moving Gavi further forward and bringing in Franck Kessie in central midfield, with the Ivorian hitting the late winner in El Clasico last time out.

Barcelona possible starting lineup: Ter Stegen; Kounde, E Garcia, Alonso, Alba; Roberto, Busquets, Gavi; F Torres, Lewandowski, Fati