Garcia returns, de Jong starts in a 3-4-3: How Barcelona could lineup against Inter Milan

Following a narrow 1-0 win against Celta Vigo on the weekend, Barcelona will be hoping to keep up their winning ways as they face a must-win game tonight. The Catalans will play host to Inter Milan for gameweek four of the 2022/23 Champions League season.

A win would go a long way for Barça after two consecutive defeats at the hands of Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena and Inter at the San Siro.

Neither game was without its fair share of controversy as Xavi’s men believed they were denied a clear penalty in both games – and rightly so.

Against Bayern, the officials failed to call on a foul against Ousmane Dembele in the box, and vs Inter, a clear handball by Denzel Dumfries went overlooked, among a fair few other things.

Not to forget, Raphinha’s cries for a penalty against Celta last weekend went unheard, too, as Javi Galan tripped him in the first half.

All said and done, the Blaugranes understand that anything short of a flawless display against Inter tomorrow could push them to the Europa League, for the second season running.

After spending upwards of €150 million in the summer, Xavi cannot afford that. But he needs to be faultless with his team selection, which will undoubtedly carry some experiments.

Defence

Marc-Andre ter Stegen was once again Barcelona’s saviour on Sunday as Iago Aspas and co. dominated the hosts in the second-half. The German goalkeeper must be at his level best tomorrow, making sure Inter are unable to take advantage of his ‘right side’ once again.

He will be screened by a three-man defence, as per rumours. With Jules Kounde and Ronald Araujo injured, Gerard Pique should start in the heart of the defence, aided by Eric Garcia to his right side.

Andreas Christensen picked up a knock against Inter last week, and therefore, Xavi will likely have to rely on Marcos Alonso as a make-shift third centre-back. Playing as part of a back-three should help hide his obvious defensive inabilities.

Midfield

We expect Barcelona to start with a four-man midfield tomorrow, shaped like a Cruyff-style diamond.

Over the course of Xavi’s tenure, Pedri has become a lot more attack-minded, finding space to attack inside the box, and also attempting more Hollywood-style risky passes and shots. Therefore, he is the perfect candidate to spearhead the quartet as the ‘#10’.

Xavi is spoilt for choice in the centre of the park, but we expect Gavi and Frenkie de Jong to occupy the central midfield zones. Their mobility makes them ideal candidates to drift wide when need be and cover for the lack of any full-backs.

Without a doubt, the final piece here should be Sergio Busquets, whose performances this season have largely gone under the radar.

Attack

To get the obvious out of the way – Robert Lewandowski will almost definitely occupy the centre-forward role. The Pole has failed to find the back of the net for two games running now, but will be hyped to get back into form starting tomorrow.

Ousmane Dembele will, in all probability, take up one of the wings in the front-three. The 25-year-old has been undoubtedly underwhelming post-international break, and more of the same could put his World Cup spot in contention.

There are three players to choose from as the final attacker. Ferran Torres started the Celta game, and looked rather sharp for the opening minutes. However, he soon lost that spark, and was brought off early in the second half.

Ansu Fati, for a brief moment, changed the dynamic of the attack vs Inter, but eventually, his efforts proved to be fruitless. He was rested against Celta, too, which could mean he starts tomorrow.

However, we expect Xavi to retain the services of Raphinha on the right side of the attack, primarily because of his defensive work-rate.

If Barcelona do play with a diamond midfield, it gives Inter’s wing-backs a little too much space to operate on the counter. The Brazilian’s defensive acumen should prove to be more useful in such a scenario.

Dembele · Lewandowski · Raphinha
Pedri
Gavi · de Jong
Busquets
Alonso · Pique · Garcia
ter Stegen

Off-the-bench

Ansu Fati would be dying to earn a spot in Xavi’s XI with a solid performance tomorrow. He looked more courageous on Sunday, and a similar cameo tomorrow could put him in the spotlight.

Alejandro Balde more than deserves a place in the team after his displays this season, and he will almost definitely come on tomorrow. The same cannot be said for Ferran Torres, but his incredible movement in the attacking third makes him the perfect player to bring on, especially if Barça are in trouble.

Franck Kessie has returned from injury a week ahead of schedule, and will be hoping for some minutes against his former foes.

Finally, we cannot forget Jordi Alba, whose attacking presence was evident in the opening 45 minutes on the weekend.

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