How will Barcelona line up against Alaves?

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The Catalans are back in La Liga action

Barcelona take on Alaves in La Liga on Saturday and will need to bounce back from a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Sevilla in midweek in the Copa del Rey.

Ronald Koeman may also just have one eye on Tuesday’s Champions League tie with Paris Saint-Germain which should make for an interesting teamsheet.

Let’s have a look at who might feature.

Defense

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Koeman still has injuries to cope with in defense. Ronald Araujo, Sergi Roberto, and Gerard Pique are definitely out, while Sergino Dest is back in training but is a bit of a doubt.

Koeman will be keen to have Dest back but may not risk the youngster ahead of the PSG match which means Oscar Mingueza or Junior Firpo could feature at right-back.

Yet Mingueza is likely to be needed at center-back too and could partner Clement Lenglet who looks set to come back into the team at the Camp Nou.

Midfield

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Koeman may also be keen to rotate his midfield but has limited options with Miralem Pjanic sidelined with a foot injury and unlikely to play.

Riqui Puig looks a good bet to start the game with Frenkie de Jong or Pedri likely to get a rest ahead of next week’s Champions League match.

Attack

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It would be no surprise to see some changes in attack but injuries mean Koeman doesn’t have too many options at present.

Francisco Trincao, who scored his first goal for the club last weekend, should start again and allow Ousmane Dembele or Antoine Griezmann a rest.

Lionel Messi was rested last time out against Real Betis so may start this one, although if he does come off the bench and score again he’ll match the record for most goals by a substitute in La Liga.

This game may also be a good opportunity to hand some more Barca youngsters some game time and Konrad de la Fuente and Alex Collado will be hoping to make the matchday squad again.

Possible XI: Ter Stegen; Dest, Mingueza, Lenglet, Alba; De Jong, Busquets, Puig; Trincao, Messi, Braithwaite.

How do you think Barcelona will line up against Alaves? Let us know your thoughts, predictions and teams in the comments below!

Source: barcablaugranes.com