It’s a brand new season, and yet again another battle amongst Europe’s top clubs to become the ultimate champion has commenced. The new season of Champions League football is all set to kick-off tomorrow. As Europe’s top clubs prepare themselves for a great start, lets take a look at Barcelona and how they could line up against Dutch team PSV Eindhoven.
Valverde looks pleased with his current side which has not lost a single match since the start of the season. The team seems to click every time they step on the pitch.
The coach will try to keep the team up and running with another win against the Dutch opponents coached by former Barca midfielder Mark van Bommel who was the part of Barca’s Champions League winning side of 2005-06.
Valverde’s first choice for the back-line might be Alba, Umtiti, Pique and Sergi Roberto. If he wants to rotate the squad, he has options like Semedo and Lenglet.
The biggest problem Valverde might face is picking his midfielders as he has a very large number of options and only 3 places to fill, many are going to be left disappointed.
His main choices might be Busquets, Coutinho, and Rakitic, while he might keep options like Arthur, Rafinha, and Vidal on the bench. Denis Suarez has come back from injury, so he might get a chance to get a touch of the ball.
There is no speculation with regards the front trio, as Suarez, Messi, and Dembele are expected to continue in attack. The French forward has been in very good form since the start of the season, and is expected to continue the show.
The Uruguayan has also started to send the balls to the back of the net after a slow start. He will be meeting the team with whom he had a very bad memory – a biting incident during his days in the Dutch League with Ajax. Malcom might be available after being sidelined due to an injury, but the GOAT Leo Messi is sure to be the first name on the team sheet.
On the defensive front, Ter Stegen is expected to start after various good performances. He will be aiming to be the best goalkeeper of the tournament.
Expected line-up
Ter Stegen, Jordi Alba, Umtiti, Pique, Roberto, Coutinho, Busquets, Rakitic, Suarez, Dembele, Messi
Expected substitutes
Cillessen, Vidal, Lenglet, Arthur Melo, Denis Suarez, Malcom, Semedo