Fati, Raphinha start in a 4-3-3: How Barcelona could line up against Atletico Madrid

Barcelona have been given a massive boost in their pursuit of a 27th La Liga title as Real Madrid fell 2-1 to defeat against Villarreal away from home. This leaves Xavi’s men with the chance to go three points clear on the top tomorrow.

However, their task will not be as easy as it may sound, for they lock horns against Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano. Diego Simeone’s men have not been good enough this season, but have a habit of turning up against the best when push comes to shove.

Atleti currently sit fourth in the table, eleven points adrift of Barça. They have the likes of Villarreal, Athletic Club, and Real Betis breathing down their necks, while Real Sociedad clear them by two points in the table.

With Antoine Griezmann and Alvaro Morata in immaculate form, Xavi will have to be very careful with his starting lineup. A single bad move could make or break the result, tomorrow, especially in midfield.

With that being said, Barça Universal takes a guess at the Blaugrana starting lineup tomorrow ahead of the mouth-watering clash.

Starters

First things first, since Robert Lewandowski has been suspended for three games, Barcelona will need to find alternatives for him in the centre-forward role.

Memphis Depay, Ansu Fati, and Ferran Torres are three of the options available at this disposal, and Xavi detailed the difference between the latter two during his presser.

“Ferran’s work without the ball is very good. People don’t value him, but he helps us in defence, and makes good runs. Ansu is more positional. He’s different… Both can play as a No. 9 and there is also the possibility of Memphis,” Xavi said.

We expect the coach to lean towards Fati for this game, primarily due to his box presence. Atletico defend rather well inside their own box, and Barça will need clever movement in the final third to break down their low block.

The Spaniard will likely rely on the services from Ousmane Dembele on the left side, while Raphinha is expected to operate on the right wing. Both players scored in the Copa del Rey vs Intercity and will hope to keep up their form tomorrow.

Pedri was given a rest in midweek, but will, in all probability, return to action tomorrow in central midfield. Gavi will likely continue to partner him. His tenacity could be very useful for Barcelona as they go against a physical Atleti side.

Frenkie de Jong and Sergio Busquets are both available for this clash, and we predict Xavi to prefer the former tomorrow. It will not, however, be surprising if Busi gets the nod in defensive midfield despite his poor form.

Behind this midfield trident, we will probably see a back-four starring Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen at the heart of the defence. The latter has been consistently solid throughout the season, while the former’s return from injury is a huge blessing.

This means the right-back spot will be occupied by Jules Kounde, who will have the responsibility of keeping Yannick Carrasco in check on the wing. Alejandro Balde could receive the nod over Marcos Alonso on the other side, with Jordi Alba suspended.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen is back in contention among the best goalkeepers in Europe this season, and will continue to guard the goal after being rested against Intercity in the Copa del Rey.

Dembele · Fati · Raphinha
Pedri · de Jong · Gavi
Balde · Christensen · Araujo · Kounde
ter Stegen

Substitutes

With Ferran Torres likely benched, he will return to the attack as a substitute. His versatility to play across the front three could see either one of the attackers be replaced.

Memphis Depay could also be called upon in the second half to add more creativity to the final third. His tendency to drop deep and pull strings could cause a lot of problems for the Atletico midfield, especially if he has runners beside him.

Pablo Torre could get some minutes following his impressive display in midweek, should Barcelona be in need of additional creativity on the night.

There might be some changes in defence, too. Araujo’s fitness could dictate his minutes, as Eric Garcia is fit and ready to be subbed in when necessary.

Finally, we cannot miss Xavi’s preference of using Sergio Busquets to slow down the tempo in the second half. That did not work as well against Espanyol, but it seems unlikely that he will stay on the bench.