Barcelona managed to get over their disappointing loss to Celta de Vigo ahead of the international break by claiming a thumping 4-0 triumph over Deportivo La Courna during the weekend and the manner of the victory would most certainly have pleased manager Luis Enrique.
Now the Catalans turn their attention to the Champions League and the Spanish giants face arguably their biggest challenge in Europe yet as Premier League outfit Manchester City led by prodigal son Pep Guardiola pay a visit to the Nou Camp on Wednesday night.
Here is the strongest possible Barcelona lineup for the clash against Manchester City –
Goalkeeper
Following his horror show against Celta, Marc-Andre ter Stegen would most certainly have been pleased to keep a clean sheet during the weekend but it has to be said that the German international did not have much to do throughout the encounter.
One can be sure that ter Stegen will be a lot busier against the likes of Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva among others on Wednesday and the young goalkeeper will most certainly have to put in a strong performance on the night.
Defence
Barcelona lined up with a three man defence against Deportivo but it is expected that manager Luis Enrique will revert to a back four on Wednesday night.
Gerard Pique is a certain starter and Samuel Umtiti could well return to the fold after his injury in order to deal with the threat posed by the pace of Sergio Aguero.
The return of Umtiti could mean that Javier Mascherano will drop down to the bench while the full back positions are likely to be occupied by Lucas Digne and Jeremy Mathieu in the absences of Jordi Alba and Sergi Roberto respectively.
Midfield
Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic are certain starters for the clash and veteran Andres Iniesta should also make his return to the starting lineup after being handed a rest over the weekend.
This means that Arda Turan and two goal hero Rafinha will have to drop to the bench in order to accommodate Enrique’s favoured midfield trio.
Attack
Lionel Messi marked his return to full fitness with a well taken goal against Deportivo and he looks certain to be starting on Wednesday.
The duo of Neymar and Luis Suarez are both fit and raring to go at the moment as well and the trio should cause the Manchester City backline a number of problems on the night.
