How will Barcelona line up against Villarreal?

Barcelona welcome Villarreal to the Camp Nou on Sunday, as they seek to regain top spot in La Liga from Sevilla.

Ernesto Valverde will still be without some key players due to injury. Samuel Umtiti and Luis Suarez are definitely out, Arthur is also expected to be sidelined once again.

What that in mind, let’s have a look at who might feature on Sunday.

Defence

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Injuries means the defence picks itself. Nelson Semedo and Jordi Alba will feature at full-back with Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet in the middle.

Injuries to Sergi Roberto, Thomas Vermaelen and Samuel Umtiti means there’s very little back-up right now, so Valverde will be praying none of his back four pick up an injury.

Midfield

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Barcelona are going to need an improvement in midfield if they are to beat Villarreal. Ivan Rakitic, Sergio Busquets and Arturo Vidal all started against PSV and may continue.

Arthur missed training on Friday which suggests he won’t feature and Rafinha is likely out for the rest of the season. Valverde could look to Denis Suarez or Carles Alena if he wants to freshen things up.

Attack

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There’s no Luis Suarez again due to injury, but Valverde praised the pairing of Lionel Messi and Ousmane Dembele after the PSV win so the young Frenchman could get another start.

That leaves just one spot which is likely to go to Philippe Coutinho, Valverde’s other attacking options are Malcom and Munir.

Possible starting XI: Ter Stegen; Semedo, Pique, Lenglet, Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Vidal; Dembele, Messi, Coutinho.

How do you think Barcelona should line up against Villarreal? Let us know your thoughts, line-ups and predictions in the comments below!