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Barcelona logo
La Liga | Gameweek 35
Jul 8, 2020 at 9pm UK
Camp Nou
Espanyol logo

Barcelona
1 - 0
Espanyol

Suarez (56')
Fati (50')
FT(HT: 0-0)

de Tomas (45'), Lopez (90+4')

How Barcelona could line up against Espanyol

Sports Mole looks at how Barcelona could line up against Espanyol for Wednesday's La Liga showdown.

Barcelona will endeavour to move to within one point of La Liga leaders Real Madrid when they welcome relegation candidates Espanyol to Camp Nou on Wednesday evening.

Barca enjoyed an impressive 4-1 victory over Champions League hopefuls Villarreal on Sunday evening, but the Catalan giants remain four points behind Real Madrid as the season draws to a close.

Madrid do not take to the pitch until Friday, though, so a win for Barca here will increase the pressure on the league leaders while simultaneously confirming Espanyol's relegation from the top flight.

Here, Sports Mole looks at how Barcelona could line up for the visit of Espanyol.



POSS BARXI vs. ESP

Out: Ousmane Dembele (hamstring), Frenkie de Jong (calf)
Doubtful: Samuel Umtiti (knee), Junior Firpo (hip)

> Click here for Barcelona's latest injury and suspension news ahead of this match

Given the manner of Barcelona's victory over a high-flying Villarreal side on Sunday evening, Quique Setien may be reluctant to make any changes to his side at all for the showdown with bottom-of-the-table Espanyol.

Ousmane Dembele and Frenkie de Jong are confirmed absentees for the hosts, while Samuel Umtiti and Junior Firpo are not expected to feature either.

Should Setien name an unchanged XI from the weekend victory over Villarreal, Clement Lenglet and Gerard Pique will form a centre-back pairing once again in Umtiti's absence.

Sergi Roberto returned to the starting lineup as part of a midfield three with Sergio Busquets and Arturo Vidal last time out, and the trio are expected to feature from the first whistle against Espanyol.

Ivan Rakitic is an option for Setien should he wish to shuffle the pack, though, while Arthur has not played a single minute for Barca since his transfer to Juventus for next season was confirmed at the end of June.

Speculation has intensified surrounding the future of Antoine Griezmann recently, but the Frenchman repaid his manager's faith in him as he scored a delightful chip against Villarreal, and Griezmann is likely to start up top with Luis Suarez again in midweek.

Another player who has seen question marks appear over his future is none other than Lionel Messi, who bagged two assists at the weekend, but Barca president Josep Bartomeu is confident that the talisman will remain at Camp Nou and Messi is a shoo-in to feature from the first whistle against Espanyol.

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Antoine Griezmann in action for Barcelona on July 23, 2019
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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Real Madrid33266171224984
2Barcelona33227468392973
3GironaGirona33225669402971
4Atletico MadridAtletico33204962392364
5Athletic Bilbao331610753332058
6Real Sociedad331312846351151
7Real BetisBetis33121384139249
8Valencia33138123738-147
9Villarreal33129125455-145
10Getafe331013104145-443
11Osasuna33116163749-1239
12AlavesAlaves33108153138-738
13Sevilla33911134246-438
14Las PalmasLas Palmas33107163041-1137
15Rayo Vallecano33713132742-1534
16Mallorca33614132739-1232
17Celta Vigo33710163750-1331
18CadizCadiz33414152346-2326
19Granada3349203661-2521
RAlmeria33111213267-3514


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