MX23RW : Friday, April 19 13:09:53| >> :60:1312:1312:
[monks data]
Barcelona logo
La Liga | Gameweek 35
Jul 8, 2020 at 9pm UK
Camp Nou
Espanyol logo

Barcelona
1 - 0
Espanyol

Suarez (56')
Fati (50')
FT(HT: 0-0)

de Tomas (45'), Lopez (90+4')

How Barcelona could line up against Espanyol

Sports Mole looks at how Barcelona could line up against Espanyol for Wednesday's La Liga showdown.

Barcelona will endeavour to move to within one point of La Liga leaders Real Madrid when they welcome relegation candidates Espanyol to Camp Nou on Wednesday evening.

Barca enjoyed an impressive 4-1 victory over Champions League hopefuls Villarreal on Sunday evening, but the Catalan giants remain four points behind Real Madrid as the season draws to a close.

Madrid do not take to the pitch until Friday, though, so a win for Barca here will increase the pressure on the league leaders while simultaneously confirming Espanyol's relegation from the top flight.

Here, Sports Mole looks at how Barcelona could line up for the visit of Espanyol.



POSS BARXI vs. ESP

Out: Ousmane Dembele (hamstring), Frenkie de Jong (calf)
Doubtful: Samuel Umtiti (knee), Junior Firpo (hip)

> Click here for Barcelona's latest injury and suspension news ahead of this match

Given the manner of Barcelona's victory over a high-flying Villarreal side on Sunday evening, Quique Setien may be reluctant to make any changes to his side at all for the showdown with bottom-of-the-table Espanyol.

Ousmane Dembele and Frenkie de Jong are confirmed absentees for the hosts, while Samuel Umtiti and Junior Firpo are not expected to feature either.

Should Setien name an unchanged XI from the weekend victory over Villarreal, Clement Lenglet and Gerard Pique will form a centre-back pairing once again in Umtiti's absence.

Sergi Roberto returned to the starting lineup as part of a midfield three with Sergio Busquets and Arturo Vidal last time out, and the trio are expected to feature from the first whistle against Espanyol.

Ivan Rakitic is an option for Setien should he wish to shuffle the pack, though, while Arthur has not played a single minute for Barca since his transfer to Juventus for next season was confirmed at the end of June.

Speculation has intensified surrounding the future of Antoine Griezmann recently, but the Frenchman repaid his manager's faith in him as he scored a delightful chip against Villarreal, and Griezmann is likely to start up top with Luis Suarez again in midweek.

Another player who has seen question marks appear over his future is none other than Lionel Messi, who bagged two assists at the weekend, but Barca president Josep Bartomeu is confident that the talisman will remain at Camp Nou and Messi is a shoo-in to feature from the first whistle against Espanyol.

ID:405399: cacheID:405399:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5791:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Antoine Griezmann in action for Barcelona on July 23, 2019
Read Next:
Bartomeu: 'Barcelona players didn't oppose Griezmann'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Real Madrid31246167204778
2Barcelona31217362342870
3GironaGirona31205663392465
4Atletico MadridAtletico31194859362361
5Athletic Bilbao31169651292257
6Real Sociedad311311745331250
7Valencia31138103432247
8Real BetisBetis31111283837145
9Villarreal31109124954-539
10Getafe31912103743-639
11Osasuna31116143644-839
12Las PalmasLas Palmas31107142935-637
13Sevilla31810133944-534
14AlavesAlaves3188152638-1232
15Mallorca31613122536-1131
16Rayo Vallecano31613122538-1331
17Celta Vigo31610153346-1328
18CadizCadiz31413142141-2025
19Granada3138203260-2817
20Almeria31111193062-3214


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!