Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman will again be missing some key players for Saturday night's La Liga contest with Atletico Madrid at Wanda Metropolitano.
Ousmane Dembele, Sergio Aguero, Pedri and Martin Braithwaite will definitely miss the match, while Alejandro Balde is unavailable due to an ongoing back problem, but Jordi Alba has returned to the squad.
There will be changes from the side that lost 3-0 to Benfica in the Champions League, and it would not be a surprise to see the Catalan outfit revert to a four-man defence, potentially matching up to Atletico.
Gerard Pique was substituted in the first half of the game against Benfica, but it was a tactical decision rather than an enforced alteration, and the Spaniard should be in the XI for this game.
Sergino Dest and fit-again Alba are likely to operate in the full-back areas, while a strong midfield could include Frenkie de Jong, Sergio Busquets and Sergi Roberto, with Pedri absent due to a thigh issue.
It will be fascinating to see what Koeman has in mind for the attacking positions; Memphis Depay is a certain starter, but the other two positions are open.
Ansu Fati is not expected to be considered for a start, having only just returned from a long-term knee problem, so there could be an opportunity in the final third of the field for Philippe Coutinho.
Koeman has also favoured playing with a centre-forward this season, and it would therefore not be a surprise to see Luuk de Jong again feature at the tip of the attack.
Barcelona possible starting lineup: Ter Stegen; Dest, Pique, Araujo, Alba; F de Jong, Busquets, Roberto; Memphis, L de Jong, Coutinho
> Click here to see how Atletico could line up for this clash
Matt Law
