Barcelona look to remain in control of the La Liga title race as the Blaugrana
face city rivals Espanyol at Camp Nou in what promises to be a hard-fought derby.Here’s how we think Hansi Flick will line up his troops for Saturday’s battle:
Defense
Barça had to play the entire second half of their loss to Atlético Madrid with 10 men and don’t have a lot of time to rest after this one, so we are expecting quite a bit of rotation from Flick on Saturday.
We expect plenty of changes at the back, with both Jules
Kounde and João Cancelo likely to be saved for the Metropolitano, and we are thinking Alejandro Balde will start at left-back and Eric Garcia will be picked on the right. Pau Cubarsí likely starts this one since he’s suspended for the Champions League, and we think Ronald Araujo will give Gerard Martín a night off and start at center-back against a physical Espanyol team.
Midfield
There is a major selection headache in midfield since Marc Bernal is still out injured, Frenkie de Jong is only expected to play a few minutes in the second half and Pedri won’t be risked in this one after a small muscle issue in midweek, so the options in the double pivot are limited to Marc Casadó and Gavi, who should be ready to start this one after playing 45 strong minutes against Atlético. Dani Olmo will probably start at the Metropolitano and will likely be rested in this one, so we think Fermín López will return at the number 10 spot.
Attack
Lamine Yamal looked absolutely exhausted at the end of the game against Atlético and is Barça’s biggest hope in the second leg, so we think a rest is appropriate on Saturday. Roony Bargdhji will get a rare start if Yamal is indeed rested, and we think Marcus Rashford will remain on the left with Ferran Torres leading the line to give Robert Lewandowski a rest.
Possible XI: Joan; Eric, Araujo, Cubarsí, Balde; Casadó, Gavi; Roony, Fermín, Rashford; Ferran (4-2-3-1)
How do you think Barcelona should line up against Espanyol? Let us know your thoughts, predictions and teams in the comments below!
