Official: Barcelona starting lineup to take on Osasuna — Griezmann starts in a 3-5-2

Despite having just three central defenders in the squad list to face Osasuna, Ronald Koeman has opted to continue with the three at-the-back formation against Osasuna. There are only two changes in the team, one in defence, and one in the attack. Antoine Griezmann starts after three games on the bench, replacing Ousmane Dembele in the attack. He is partnered with captain Lionel Messi.

Behind the duo, Sergino Dest occupies the position on the far-right side of the midfield five as a wing-back. Jordi Alba takes the other flank while Sergio Busquets will act as the anchor in the central midfield triumvirate. Pedri and Frenkie de Jong round up the centre of the park as the advanced midfielders with varying roles.

At the back, Oscar Mingueza will be hoping to recreate his performance against Sevilla from midweek, joining Clement Lenglet, who will probably take up the spot on the far left. Samuel Umtiti gets the nod to replace the injured Gerard Pique in the centre of the backline. Marc-Andre Ter Stegen dons responsibility of the gloves.

Confirmed XI: ter Stegen; Mingueza, Umtiti, Lenglet; Dest, de Jong, Busquets, Pedri, Alba; Messi, Griezmann

Osasuna defend very deep in their own half, and starting a 3-5-2 seems like a far from ideal idea. The one sets of wide players will be easy to occupy for the hosts, and Barcelona’s heavy midfield can be countered with their mid-block with wingers tucking in. Either way, with the Madrid derby set to take place soon, this game is of huge importance for the club in an attempt to climb up the table.