How will Barcelona line up against Valencia?

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The Catalans are at Mestalla in La Liga on Sunday

Barcelona head to Valencia on Sunday in La Liga aiming to get their title hopes back on track after Thursday’s demoralizing defeat to Granada.

Valencia have proven to be tough opponents for Barcelona in recent seasons, but Ronald Koeman’s men know they can’t afford to drop points if they are to do the double.

Let’s see how they might line up:

Defense

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Koeman looks set to make changes to his backline after Barcelona were guilty of more defensive errors against Granada. Samuel Umtiti and Sergi Roberto look favorites to drop out with Sergino Dest and Clement Lenglet expected to come back in.

There’s also the possibility that Koeman could change formation again and revert to a back four which might mean a recall for Ronald Araujo who’s largely been overlooked since Gerard Pique returned to fitness.

Midfield

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Pedri was handed a bit of a rest against Granada but it wouldn’t be a surprise if the teenager returned to the starting XI in place of Ilaix Moriba.

Sergio Busquets and Frenkie de Jong look set to continue with Miralem Pjanic and Riqui Puig seemingly forgotten about by Koeman currently.

Attack

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Koeman doesn’t have too many options in attack with Martin Braithwaite still sidelined along with long-term injury victims Ansu Fati and Philippe Coutinho.

Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann combined brilliantly for the opener against Granada and could continue, although Ousmane Dembele is also an option to start the game. Koeman will probably also throw on Francisco Trincao for the last 10 minutes or so.

Possible XI: Ter Stegen; Mingueza, Pique, Lenglet; Dest, Busquets, De Jong, Pedri, Alba; Messi, Griezmann.

How do you think Barcelona should line up against Valencia? Let us know your thoughts, predictions and teams in the comments below!

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