Barcelona will welcome Aston Villa to their stadium on Tuesday for their upcoming UEFA Champions League game. Hansi Flick’s team will be hoping to recover in Europe after suffering their first defeat in the league phase in their previous continental outing.
The Catalan club responded strongly to back-to-back losses to Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain by crushing Alavés 6-1 on Saturday. That result has kept Flick’s side firmly in first place in La Liga. In the Champions League, Barcelona are currently eighth in the league-phase table, with six points collected from their first three matches after commanding wins against Feyenoord and Galatasaray.
Barcelona team news
Barcelona arrive for this fixture dealing with a major injury problem in defence, which has left Hansi Flick with very few choices at the back.
Andreas Christensen and Eric García are both unavailable because of thigh injuries, while Jules Koundé and young defender Xavi Espart have officially been ruled out with ankle issues.
In attack, creative midfielder Dani Olmo is still out with an adductor problem, and Roony Bardghji remains sidelined for the long term as he recovers from an ACL injury.
With no fit specialist centre-backs available, Flick is likely to use the same unusual solution he tried at the weekend: moving midfielder Frenkie de Jong into central defence alongside Pau Cubarsí.
Joan García is expected to keep goal, with João Cancelo and Gerard Martín likely to play as the full-backs. Further up the pitch, Rodri, Pedri, Lamine Yamal, and Raphinha are set to form the core of the weakened starting eleven.
Barcelona predicted lineup
Possible Barcelona starting XI: J. García; Cancelo, Cubarsí, De Jong, Martín; Rodri, Pedri; Yamal, López, Gordon; Raphinha.
When will the match kick off?
The match will kick off at 8pm BST on Tuesday, 3rd November.
How to watch Barcelona vs Aston Villa?
Supporters in the United Kingdom can follow the FC Barcelona versus Aston Villa match live on TNT Sports 1.
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