The Catalans travel to Villarreal for the first match in a busy April.
Barcelona were reliant on Lionel Messi to get past a stubborn Espanyol in the Catalan derby after the last international break of the season. Villarreal, on the other hand, lost a crucial match against Celta Vigo that drew them closer to the relegation places. They were 2-0 up but a second half comeback inspired by Iago Aspas saw Celta Vigo come away with the points and make up vital ground on their opponents.
Atletico Madrid won 4-0 against Alaves to keep up the pressure on Barcelona, however, they are still 10 points behind with nine games remaining and it seems highly unlikely that the Catalans will drop that many points over the remainder of the season as well as Atletico having the perfect finish. The main issue for Ernesto Valverde is how to rotate his squad effectively so they can successfully compete on three fronts as they hunt for a third European treble.
Expected Starting XI (4-3-3)
Marc-Andre ter Stegen
Sergi Roberto, Gerard Pique, Samuel Umtiti, Jordi Alba
Arturo Vidal, Ivan Rakitic, Arthur Melo
Lionel Messi, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Malcom
It would be nice to see Messi get some rest ahead of the tricky schedule they have coming up, but his importance to the team as well as his willingness to play every game means that is unlikely. Wins in this match as well as against Atletico Madrid could see him start to be rested in the rest of the league games, though, as the title would be almost secured by that point.
Luis Suarez only recently returned from injury, so two games in less than a week is probably too much for him which means Boateng should be rotated in. Malcom impressed when he came on as a substitute against Espanyol, which is unsurprising given that he has made a habit of doing that, although Valverde appears to be the only person he is unable to convince. Therefore, he deserves to start over his fellow Brazilian Philippe Coutinho, who continues to underperform.
Sergio Busquets, Clement Lenglet and Nelson Semedo can all be rested for this match as there are more than capable alternatives to take their place. Arthur and Rakitic balance out Vidal well because they will be able to cover when he makes his driving forward runs to support the attack. The Croatian has shown previously that he is comfortable in the defensive midfield role, although he lacks Busquets’ press resistance.
Villarreal lack a dangerous wide threat on the left unless they play Samuel Chukwueze out of position, so Semedo can be saved for the Atletico match because Roberto’s defensive issues are unlikely to be exploited. Umtiti has had his injury issues this season, but he is still a top defender and a perfectly capable deputy for Lenglet, who has proved himself to be one of the signings of the season.