The biggest talking point of the lineup is the exclusion of Ousmane Dembélé
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Ernesto Valverde has put up a very competitive team for the Catalan Derby against Espanyol. Obviously, he understands the meaning of the tie to fans of both sides. He has played in the Derby for both sides and had managed Espanyol in the Derby back in 2007. Now, he is managing Barcelona and will look to get one over the local rivals.
Goalkeeper : Marc-André ter Stegen
Right-back : Nélson Semedo
Centre-back (left) : Samuel Umtiti
Centre-back (right) : Gerard Piqué
Left-back : Jordi Alba
Defensive midfielder : Sergio Busquets
Playmaker (right) : Ivan Rakitić
Playmaker (left) : Andrés Iniesta (captain)
Left-forward : Gerard Deulofeu
Centre-forward : Luis Suárez
Right-forward : Lionel Messi (vice-captain)
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The players who played for their countries in both the World Cup Qualifiers will not be getting a rest this game. As many as 7 players in the XI played in both the international games. They will be a bit fatigued but the Camp Nou will motivate them.
But the most surprising thing in the lineup tonight is the exclusion of Ousmane Dembélé. After Dortmund suspended him, he stopped training. He just begun training again with the club a little more than a week ago.
But that should be sufficient time for a 20-year old to get back in shape. Apparently, Dembélé could not be match-fit in time. Although this is just the beginning of his Barcelona career, the situation regarding his fitness is concerning.
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Although Gerard Deulofeu is a very good backup , we should hope that he is not called into action very often due to Dembélé’s frequent fitness problems.