Barcelona prepare to battle it out against Espanyol in the 164th edition of the Derbi Barceloní and the match promises to be a really entertaining affair with a lot at stake.
Since their surprise exit from the Champions League and the defeat against Valencia, Barcelona have got themselves back on track in spectacular fashion and have claimed three consecutive victories by scoring 16 goals without reply.
With the gap on the two Madrid sides still one point though, Barcelona absolutely have no room for error and will need to claim victory when they square off against rivals Espanyol in the Derbi barceloní on Sunday.
Here is the Strongest Possible Barcelona Lineup against Espanyol –
Goalkeeper
Claudio Bravo has had fairly little to do throughout the last three matches but this does not mean that the Chilean international can be complacent for the clash on Sunday, especially against an Espanyol side which will undoubtedly be keen on securing a good result.
Defence
Thomas Vermaelen and Jeremy Mathieu are struggling with injuries ahead of the clash and irrespective of the fitness problems of the duo; manager Luis Enrique is unlikely to make any changes to his backline for the encounter against Espanyol.
This means that the quartet of Dani Alves, Gerard Pique, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba will be starting at the back while the likes of Marc Bartra and Aleix Vidal will once again have to be content with a place on the bench.
Midfield
In midfield, Ivan Rakitic, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets is the most likely combination and the trio will surely have a big role to play on the day.
If indeed Enrique decides to change things around, one can expect either Sergi Roberto or Arda Turan to be handed a start. Rafinha also remains in contention.
Attack
The holy trinity of Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Neymar have been in brilliant form over the past few weeks and the Espanyol backline will need to put in a herculean effort in order to stop the sensational Barcelona attack from finding the back of the net this weekend.
(4-3-3)
