Barcelona were handed a huge boost in their hopes of retaining the La Liga title following their 2-1 victory over Las Palmas, while their rivals Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid both faltered in their respective games over the weekend.
With a eight point lead at the top of the table, it seems almost certain that Barcelona will be crowned Spanish champions once again and now manager Luis Enrique will want his men to focus their attention to the Champions League.
Barcelona prepare to square off against familiar opponents in Arsenal in the first leg of the Round of 16 at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night and although the defending European champions have had the better of the Gunners in recent times, the match will be anything but a straightforward encounter.
Here is a strongest possible lineup for Barcelona on the night –
Goalkeeper
Marc-Andre ter Stegen is the go to goalkeeper for Luis Enrique during cup competitions and the Barcelona manager will surely have no problems whatsoever in using the German international once again in the clash against Arsenal in midweek.
Ter Stegen will come up against the dangerous looking Arsenal attacking lineup and the young custodian will certainly have to be on his guard in order to keep a clean sheet on the night.
Defence
Gerard Pique was handed a rest during the 2-1 victory over Las Palmas during the weekend and it is very likely that the Spanish international will be returning back into the lineup at the expense of Jeremy Mathieu in the encounter with Arsenal.
Dani Alves, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba all featured during the weekend and the trio is expected to retain their place in the lineup for the midweek Champions League clash as well. The likes of Thomas Vermaelen, Marc Bartra and Adriano will take their place on the bench.
Midfield
Ivan Rakitic and Sergio Busquets were also handed a rest against Las Palmas and it seems certain that the duo will start against Arsenal, meaning that Sergi Roberto and Arda Turan will be dropping down to the bench.
Andres Iniesta will be starting as well and the veteran midfielder will be looking to weave his magic on the Arsenal backline.
Attack
It was Luis Suarez and Neymar who bagged the goals during the victory over Las Palmas while Lionel Messi surprisingly suffered an off day in front of goal.
However, it seems almost impossible to stop the Barcelona attacking trio when they work in tandem and the Arsenal backline will have to put in a special performance at the back on Tuesday night in order to be able to keep a clean sheet.
(4-3-3)
Via – Lineup Builder
