Ronald Koeman has made four changes to the team full of youngsters that started against Dynamo Kyiv on Wednesday. Barcelona fared fairly well in a game where none of the four captains started, but his game welcomes the return of Lionel Messi in the team, paired up with Antoine Griezmann. Martin Braithwaite has also been given another start following his brace in Ukraine.
Sergino Dest retains his spot over the right-back spot despite an injury scare. Jordi Alba returns on the opposite side as the left-back, while Oscar Mingueza starts his second game in a row, paired up alongside Clement Lenglet in the heart of the defence. This back-four will guard Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who takes care of the net in goal.
It looks like Ronald Koeman has finally reverted to a 4-3-3 as Frenkie de Jong starts in the heart of the pitch, playing as the defensive midfielder, while Philippe Coutinho and Pedri flank him on either side of the pitch.
Confirmed Barcelona Lineup: Ter Stegen; Dest, Mingueza, Lenglet, Alba; Coutinho, de Jong, Pedri; Braithwaite, Messi, Griezmann
The lineup makes little to no sense on paper, in either a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1. This makes it even clearer that Koeman is struggling to put together the pieces in the lineup following several injuries to his players, including Gerard Pique, Ronald Araujo, Ansu Fati, among others.
Source: FC Barceona
