Barcelona could return to their origin system at Almeria
The Catalans may move away from the asymmetrical 4-4-2 system they have been using
Barça have a golden opportunity this Sunday in Almeria to extend the gap to ten points at the top of La Liga and, to do so, Xavi Hernandez will field an attacking eleven in search of victory.
The Blaugrana will be playing against an opponent who are in the relegation zone and who conceded six goals last time out in Girona. Therefore, the intention is to hurt them from the start and everything suggests that the coach will abandon the formula of the four midfielders to return to the original 4-3-3.
Xavi has many reasons to return to his more usual system. The first and fundamental one is to gain more punch in attack. The four midfielders provide control, but with the loss of Pedri, as we saw at Old Trafford, more attacking players are needed.
In this sense, the coach could turn to Ferran Torres, who regained his confidence against Cadiz and who played some good minutes in Manchester. The absence of Ansu Fati also leaves the team with no more natural strikers, apart from the youthful Alarcon.
The team is still in the midst of a carousel of consecutive demanding matches and it is very likely that there will be some rotations. Araujo was substituted with a knock against United and is essential on Thursday in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final to ward off Vinicius.
Another candidate to be rested is Sergio Busquets, who is coming off an injury and lost steam in the second half at Old Trafford. His presence also looks much more vital for the clash at the Santiago Bernabeu. A return to the 4-3-3 formation would see De Jong in central midfield, while Kessie could continue as a right-sided midfielder, with Gavi returning to the XI after being suspended for the Europa League.
Another player who could return is Jordi Alba. The third captain is a player who can provide solutions on the left flank against Almeria, who are likely to play with five defenders. His accuracy in passing and putting balls into the box could help to create enough chances to break them down.
For his part, Rubi could add armour to his team after the defeat in Girona and has only one absentee in Melero. The Catalan coach has been able to bring Akieme and Pozo back from injury into the squad.
Almeria's objective is to break their three-game losing streak and get a win that will take them out of the relegation zone.
