Torres, Aubameyang out; Memphis, Luuk in: 4-3-3 Barcelona predicted lineup against Cadiz

Life after international break has been far from ideal for Barcelona. The Catalans had scored ten goals in their three games before leaving for national duty, and have come back to score just seven in four games.

Much more than the goals, the performances have caught the eye of fans for all the wrong reasons. With the exception of the Sevilla game, Barcelona were the worse team vs both legs against Eintracht Frankfurt, and even vs Levante.

Xavi continues to insist that they still have to ‘fight’ for a top four spot, and even for an outside shot at the title, but the reality is that Barcelona have little to nothing to play for.

They sit in second place, level on points with Sevilla, but with 1. a better head-to-head record, 2. a better goal difference, and 3. a game in hand. Further, Barça have played two games less than Atletico Madrid and Real Betis, holding at least a three point leverage.

As such, ahead of their game vs Cadiz, it is not too surprising to expect wholesale changes to the starting XI. Barça Universal takes a shot at the lineup Xavi could field tomorrow night.

The Starters

Gerard Pique and Ronald Araujo are not part of the squad list due to injury and suspension respectively.

This is easily the most worrying part about the lineup for Eric Garcia and Clement Lenglet have given away three penalties in the last two games combined. They will likely, however, start ahead of Oscar Migueza to form the defensive triangle alongside Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Jordi Alba has played a bizarre 680 minutes in the last month across club and country, and we expect him to be rested against 18th-placed Cadiz. He should be replaced by Sergino Dest, while Dani Alves is expected to start on the right side.

In midfield, Sergio Busquets is overdue for a break after playing 90 minutes each in all four games after the break. We expect Frenkie de Jong to take his place at defensive midfield.

Gavi will likely slot in for the injurd Pedri, while Nico Gonzalez should get the chance to impress with a very important start.

Ousmane Dembele has been an injury risk after overusage through his Barcelona tenure, and Xavi would not want to repeat the same mistakes as those of his predecessors. However, with a large part of the team rested, he could be a ‘leader’ in the attack.

Cadiz usually deploy a low-block, and Barcelona will need as much creativity as they can in the attack. As such, Memphis Depay is a must, and will likely come in for Ferran Torres on the left-wing.

We expect Luuk de Jong to round off the lineup as the centre-forward with several impressive cameo appearances in a row. His presence against the physical backline of Cadiz will be key to the result.

Predicted Barcelona XI:

Memphis · Luuk · Dembele
Gavi · de Jong · Nico
Dest · Lenglet · Garcia · Alves
ter Stegen

The Bench

Should Busquets not start the game, his presence in the second half could be key to add more defensive depth and control, especially if Barcelona have taken the lead.

More importantly, this could be a chance for players without minutes to impress Xavi. That lists starts with Martin Braithwaite and Riqui Puig. While the latter has a much better chance for minutes, the former might have to rely on the starters to take the game beyond reach.

Adama Traore has barely made a difference in the last few games, but will almost definitely come on in the second half. His ability to maintain width and put in crosses will be key against a low block.

Finally, one of Ferran Torres or Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang might get the nod if Barcelona are in need of goals.