Ernesto Valverde takes his men to Wembley as Barcelona face Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League tie on Wednesday.
The Spanish champions registered a 4-0 victory over PSV Eindhoven on September 18th and that was their last win in all competitions as they settled for a draw against Girona and Athletic Club Bilbao, while suffered a defeat at the hands of Leganes.
Sport has a story about how the visitors will lineup when they face the north London club following the Blaugrana’s recent poor defensive displays.
In his first season at Camp Nou, the current La Liga winners’ manager preferred a 4-4-2 formation but he’s changed it to accommodate signings, and that’s all about to torn to shreds.
When compared to how Barcelona fared after seven matches between this season and the previous, the stats suggests they were a better team last term, scoring more goals, conceding twice and having more points.
It’s claimed that Ousmane Dembele’s injury last season forced Valverde to employ a 4-4-2 formation with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez up front and the two are likely to start as a pair against Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
Pauilnho’s departure allowed the Barcelona manager to use a 4-4-3 formation with the Frenchman as part of his side’s attack, but Sport claims the latter will be forced to settle for a place on the bench as they mention it creates an imbalance and therefore, the defence suffers more with this formation.
Sergio Busquets will play ahead of the back line, while Ivan Rakitic and Arturo Vidal are expected to play on the right and left side of the midfielder respectively. Philippe Coutinho will play behind the Argentine international and ex-Liverpool striker, this time in a move central role.
Tottenham suffered a 2-1 defeat against Inter Milan in the first group stage fixture and it’s important for them to clinch the three points against Barcelona.
Valverde is aware of the English club’s situation and will therefore put forward his team’s mini revolution to counter what he expects from Spurs.
If Pochettino and his coaching have been planning for Barcelona’s most used system this system then they’re in for a surprise, reports Sport.
