Torres, Balde start in a 4-3-3: How Barcelona could line up against Rayo Vallecano

The final international break of the 2023/24 season is finally over as Barcelona are back in action tomorrow as they travel to the Spanish capital Madrid to lock horns against Rayo Vallecano as part of La Liga gameweek 14.

Barcelona were going through their worst form pre-break, having put up back-to-back disappointing performances against Athletic Club, Real Madrid, Real Sociedad, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Deportivo Alaves.

While they did manage to come out of this run with only two losses, Xavi and the players have publicly expressed their disappointment with their form and a lack of efficiency in front of goal.

However, they now face an even trickier run of games now. Post Vallecano, the Catalans will host Porto in the Champions League, Atletico Madrid in the league, then Girona a fortnight from now, before returning to the UCL for a trip to Belgium to take on Royal Antwerp.

Frenkie de Jong is back in the squad list for the game, as confirmed by Xavi. They will, unfortunately, miss out on the services of Gavi, who picked up a heartbreaking ACL injury during international break, and Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who has a back knock.

With these changes in mind, BU takes a jab at how Barcelona will line up against Rayo Vallecano tomorrow afternoon.

Defence

Xavi has confirmed that Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s back injury is more serious than initially assumed, and that the German will miss out on the game against Vallecano. Inaki Pena is expected to take his place for his first appearance of the season.

Joao Cancelo played around 180 minutes for Portugal across the last week, and desperately needs a break. He should be replaced by Jules Kounde at right-back, despite his howler of a performance against Deportivo Alaves just before the break.

In central defence, meanwhile, Ronald Araujo is expected to take his place alongside Inigo Martinez, who has been in the form of his life after cementing a place in the backline under Xavi across the last month.

Alejandro Balde was not called up to the international break for Spain, and has got the necessary rest time to recover himself physically and mentally. He should start at left-back tomorrow, with no alternative available immediately.

Midfield

One of Xavi’s biggest headaches will be managing Ilkay Gundogan, who has started 16 games straight for Barcelona and Germany, playing 90 minutes in most of them. However, with Gavi now out, and Frenkie de Jong still not fully fit, the German will have to start tomorrow, as an interior.

Oriol Romeu is expected to get the nod in defensive midfield tomorrow. His performances over the last few weeks have been underwhelming, but due to a lack of options present in midfield for Xavi, the Spaniard will have his shot at redemption.

Pedri also received two weeks of rest during the international break, and should be one of the first names on the lineup sheet, acting as an interior.

Attack

Most of Barcelona’s attack was in action on international duty, with Ferran Torres, especially proving his worth. The Spaniard also delivered against Alaves coming on in the second-half, winning the penalty that won the game for the Catalans.

He is predicted to start as the right-winger tomorrow, with Lamine Yamal and Raphinha in rather poor form.

Several reports have suggested that Xavi will return to the four-man midfield system soon. Based on that, it is likely that Fermin Lopez takes charge as the left-winger. His eye for goal and courage in the final third makes him an excellent candidate as a faux forward.

The final piece in the puzzle will be Robert Lewandowski, who scored a winning brace against Alaves to take Barça over the winning line. He will be hoping to keep up his form heading into the Vallecano clash.

Substitutes

Joao Felix started life well at Barcelona very well, but has recently hit a lump of poor form recently, which is why he is expected to start on the bench in the first place. Despite that, though, he will likely be one of the first players off it in the second half.

With Frenkie de Jong back in the squad list, he could get some minutes to push him towards match fitness.

Andreas Christensen and Joao Cancelo‘s numbers will likely also be shown on the substitution board, which could be either for a defensive or offensive switch.