Barcelona managed to extend their winning run in La Liga with a 1-0 victory over Granada during the weekend but it has to be said that the performance from the Catalan giants on the night was anything but convincing.
Now Barcelona turn their attention to matters in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night and Premier League giants Manchester City are their opponents at the Etihad Stadium.
Luis Enrique’s men had managed to claim a stunning 4-0 triumph over City during the corresponding fixture a couple of weeks ago but a repeat result will most certainly be very difficult to attain for Barcelona this time around.
Here is the strongest possible Barcelona lineup for the clash against Manchester City –
Goalkeeper
Marc-Andre ter Stegen managed a clean sheet in the 1-0 victory against Granada and although the German had virtually nothing to do throughout the course of the match, he would surely have been left pleased with the shutout.
Ter Stegen is expected to be much busier in the midweek encounter with Manchester City and he will surely have to perform extremely well in order for Barcelona to claim a good result.
Defence
Barcelona’s backline has been severely depleted over the past few weeks or so due to various injury problems but a second string defensive lineup consisting of the likes of Lucas Digne, Samuel Umtiti, Javier Mascherano and Sergi Roberto performed well against Granada.
With all due respect to Granada, Manchester City’s attacking lineup is much superior and the four aforementioned players will have to really put on a good showing to keep another clean sheet on the night.
Midfield
Sergio Busquets was rested in the midweek encounter against Granada and he could now well return to the starting lineup in the place of Denis Suarez on Tuesday night.
Ivan Rakitic is another certain starter while Rafinha should continue in the lineup ahead of Andre Gomes following his match winning performance on Saturday.
Attack
Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar all endured a rare off day last weekend and the trio will now surely be intent on getting back their groove against the Manchester City defence which they tore apart so comfortably during the corresponding fixture a fortnight ago.
