Dembele rests, de Jong starts in a 4-3-3: How Barcelona could lineup against Celta Vigo

Following a disappointing midweek defeat to Inter in the Champions League, Barcelona aim to refocus on La Liga as they take on a tricky opponent in Celta Vigo as their round eight opponents.

After Real Madrid scraped through to a win on Saturday night against Getafe, Barcelona must win to reclaim their spot atop the standings, albeit on goal difference, heading into as crucial an El Clasico as ever the next weekend.

Celta Vigo’s form has stuttered of late, with the Galicians losing two of their last three games, but managed to win the last game against Real Betis after the international break.

The Catalans face a stern test against Iago Aspas and co, so who will they deploy to secure the three points? Here is Barça Universal’s predicted lineup.

Defence

Hoping to add to his tally of six clean sheets so far this season, Marc Andre ter Stegenwill keep his place in goal, remaining the only surefire starter amid a very fragile backline hampered by multiple injuries.

In central defence, Gerard Pique could be handed only his third league appearance of the season alongside Eric Garcia, who has produced some good showings every time he has played.

After putting in a shift at right-back in the 1-0 win against Mallorca, Alejandro Balde will most likely return to the starting lineup in his preferred position. His explosiveness could be key to unlocking the Celta defence.

This means Sergi Roberto slots in at right-back in the absences of Hector Bellerin, Ronald Araujo and Jules Kounde for a second start on the bounce.

Midfield

With every point proving absolutely vital in this tussle for top spot with Real Madrid, Xavi could take very few chances with his midfield and send in the big guns.

Pedri will be deployed once again to try and keep the game ticking with his extraordinary ability, as Frenkie de Jong could partner him up as the other central midfielder to drive at Celta Vigo.

The Dutchman officially received the medical green light yesterday after about two weeks on the sidelines through a knock he picked up while with the Oranje on international duty.

Anchoring the midfield, Sergio Busquets is expected to feature, with his experience and calming presence hopefully shining through to neutralise Celta’s midfield of Fran Beltran alongside Gabriel Veiga or Renato Tapia.

Attack

Following his solid outing against Mallorca, Ansu Fati could return to the starting lineup to continue his journey towards regaining his full sharpness.

A much-needed rest for Ousmane Dembele could then pave the way for Raphinha to start on the right flank. Xavi has used him on the left on multiple occasions, but not to great effect. The Brazilian will be keen to show what he can do on his preferred side.

Leading the line, of course, will be the mercurial Robert Lewandowskiaiming to extend his lead in the Pichichirace and be the first player to reach double figures for goals in La Liga this season.

Off the bench

Thanks to Barcelona’s worryingly-long injury list, Franck Kessie has now been ruled out for a few days, which means he will not be able to come on in the second half to add an extra layer of dynamism to the Barcelona midfield.

Ferran Torres could be brought on for Fati later in the second half to try and link play up and free up space for Lewandowski. Pablo Gavi could be thrown into the mix, with his tenacity freshening up the tired legs in midfield.

If the game is comfortable, perhaps we could see some minutes for the exciting young Pablo Torre in the middle of the park as well.

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