Barcelona announce squad for La Liga match against Rayo Vallecano

The next Barcelona match is upon us! The Blaugrana are back in action in La Liga with a trip to Madrid, looking to stay top of the league against struggling Rayo Vallecano. Ernesto Valverde is calling back the big boys after resting them in the Copa del Rey, and these are the 18 men that will be in uniform on Saturday night:

Goalkeepers: 1. Marc-André ter Stegen, 13. Jasper Cillessen

Defenders: 2. Nélson Semedo, 3. Gerard Piqué, 15. Clément Lenglet, 18. Jordi Alba, 36. Chumi

Midfielders: 4. Ivan Rakitic, 5. Sergio Busquets, 7. Philippe Coutinho, 8. Arthur, 12. Rafinha, 20. Sergi Roberto, 22. Arturo Vidal, 26. Carles Aleñá

Forwards: 9. Luis Suárez, 11. Ousmane Dembélé, 19. Munir

All of the big first team names are back, except for Lionel Messi and Samuel Umtiti, who are back in training but not quite ready to return from injury. Thomas Vermaelen and Sergi Samper are also injured, while Denis Suarez and Malcom miss out per the manager’s decision.

Predicted starting XI (4-3-3):

Ter Stegen; Roberto, Piqué, Lenglet, Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Arthur; Rafinha, Suárez, Coutinho

The match kicks off at 8.45pm CET/WAT (Barcelona & Nigeria), 7.45pm GMT (UK), 3.45pm ET, 12.45pm PT (USA), 1.15am IST (India, Sunday), and you can join us to follow and comment all the action.

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