Barça to rotate against Villarreal with Atletico on the horizon
Pique and Rakitic are two players who could take a break
Ernesto Valverde isn't a huge fan of rotations, although against Villarreal on Tuesday he will have to make some changes. The squad, with everyone available included except Jeison Murillo, is a clear declaration of intent. Riqui Puig and Moussa Wague trained with the first team but neither will travel for the game. The Barcelona coach will not take risks and changes will focus on avoiding suspensions or injuries.
In this sense, Gerard Pique and Ivan Rakitic are two serious candidates to start on the bench. Both have four yellow cards this season and, if they got a fifth, would miss Saturday's game against Atletico Madrid, when Barça will have the chance to really sentence La Liga.
Barça are 10 points clear of Atletico and, if they keep that lead through the midweek fixtures, can strike a huge blow at Camp Nou this weekend. Arturo Vidal is another player on four yellows, although his case is different as he's unlikely to start against the Rojiblancos.
First game without Pique?
Therefore, Pique could sit out his first minutes in La Liga this season. Samuel Umtiti would take his place. The Frenchman's recovered from a knee problem and could have an important role between now and the end of the season.
In the middle, Vidal and Carles Aleña are players that could replace Rakitic, while further forward it's likely that one of the stars will be on the bench. Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, who both had injuries during the international break, could take a breather with Atletico in mind.
In any case, Valverde won't make wholesale changes. The coach made it clear that points against Villarreal are worth the same as against Atletico. He is not getting carried away and doesn't think the title's been won yet.
