Champions League: Barcelona’s possible starting lineup vs Inter Milan
Xavi could change his usual system due to injuries at the back. De Jong could drop into defence alongside Piqué and Eric García.
Barcelona’s chances of advancing to the knockout stage of this year’s Champions League hinge on getting a positive result this evening against Inter Milan. Defeats away from home to Bayern Munich on Matchday 2 and Inter last week left Barça third in Group C on three points - six behind the Germans.
Xavi fears visiting coach Simone Inzaghi will try to stifle his side tonight at Camp Nou by playing deep and defending in numbers. The Catalan coach will have Inter’s dogged defence to deal with as well as putting together a team with several members of his own backline missing. Bellerín, Christensen and Araujo are all out injured which suggests that Frenkie de Jong could start in a rearguard of three centre-backs alongside Piqué and Eric García. Up-front, Xavi will field his usual attack of Raphinha, Lewandowski and Dembélé. Ferran Torres, who started Sunday’s win against Celta will regress to the bench while Franck Kessié is over his adductor problems and is back in the list although he too will be held in reserve.
Xavi: “The pressure is on me, not the players”
Xavi admitted in his pre-match press conference that Barcelona have no margin for error against Inter. “We expect an Inter very similar to the one in Milan. They will form the lower block, the middle block, we have alternatives, we have prepared them,” he told reporters. “It is a final, and we have no margin for error. With the help of the fans, we hope there will be a magical night. We must not lower our guard; there is talent, there is a desire for revenge, so we have to give everything so that the victory stays here. I would like to be a player tomorrow, I would rather be a player than a coach tomorrow. For me, it is a very good opportunity. We are motivated and hopeful.”
Barcelona vs Inter Milan (possible starting XIs)
Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Eric García, De Jong, Piqué; Busquests, Gavi, Pedri, Marcos Alonso or Balde; Raphinha, Lewandowski and Dembélé.
Inter Milan: Onana; Skriniar, De Vrij, Bastoni; Darmian, Barella, Gagliardini, Calhanoglu, Dimarco; Lautaro and Mkhitaryan.
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland).
Stadium: Camp Nou.
Kick-off: 21:00 hours CEST / 3 p.m. EDT / 12 noon PDT