Fermin, Lewandowski start in a 4-2-3-1 – How Barcelona can line up against Real Madrid | OneFootball

FC Barcelona are just one point away from being crowned as La Liga champions, and they could achieve that tonight when they face off against Real Madrid in El Clasico.

The Catalans have an 11-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid, who are currently going through a period of tumult and turmoil with all the infighting and unrest in the dressing room.

Having already won the Spanish Super Cup by beating Los Blancos, lifting the La Liga title with a win over their arch-rivals will make the triumph even sweeter for Hansi Flick & co.

Leading up to the big game, Barcelona have no new injury concerns, although Lamine Yamal’s absence will be felt. Andreas Christensen, who has been training with the team for a while now, is unlikely to be rushed back either.

Flick, though, has some interesting decisions to make with regard to the lineup that will take the field against Alvaro Arbeloa & co. Here’s how the soon-to-be-confirmed champions could take the field in the Clasico.

Defence

Joan Garcia, on the cusp of winning the Zamora Trophy, will start in goal as usual for Barcelona, hoping to keep a clean sheet against Real Madrid.

The centre-back pairing of Pau Cubarsi and Gerard Martin, which has never lost a game in La Liga this season, is unlikely to be tinkered with either.

One major dilemma comes in the right-back position, where Flick will have to choose between three players to tackle the threat of Vinicius Jr. Going by the test lineup the manager tried in training, Jules Kounde could get the nod over Eric Garcia and Ronald Araujo.

Kounde vs Vinicius tonight? (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)

On the left side of the defence, Joao Cancelo is expected to retain his spot in the team ahead of Alejandro Balde.

Midfield

Pedri is a guaranteed starter for Barcelona tonight in the Clasico and will be extremely crucial to the team’s chances of coming out on top.

As for his partner in the double pivot, Flick faces another selection headache. Frenkie de Jong has been the preferred option for the majority of the season and has accumulated plenty of minutes from the bench since returning from injury.

However, Gavi has been in fine form in recent games, performing exceptionally well in the centre of the park, and could, thus, retain his spot for the Clasico.

As for the No. 10 position, Dani Olmo is expected to get the nod again for the home team.

Attack

Raphinha is back from injury, but is unlikely to start from kickoff. As such, Fermin Lopez is expected to feature on the left flank for the Blaugrana against Real Madrid.

Even though Ferran Torres has been making a strong case for his inclusion in the team, Robert Lewandowski has been going through a positive run, and Flick is likely to continue backing the veteran forward in the No. 9 position.

On the right, Roony Bardghji is set to be given another opportunity in Lamine Yamal’s absence, even though Marcus Rashford has impressed on that flank after coming on as a substitute in the past couple of matches.