Barcelona predicted lineup for Athletic Bilbao match

Midfield

One of the changes that Koeman has made to his lineup is the presence of a third midfielder. Before, he used a double pivot but that tweak to his side has been one of the reasons why Barcelona have won all their away games in January.

The big absence is going to be Sergio Busquets. The central midfielder picked up his fifth booking against Elche and will sever a one-match suspension.

The obvious choice to replace would be Miralem Pjanic. But Pjanic has not impressed Koeman and did not take part in the Rayo Vallecano match. Riqui Puig started in that match and is slowly winning over the Dutch manager.

The other two spots will undoubtedly be covered by Frenkie de Jong and Pedri. De Jong is playing his best football since arriving to Barcelona from Ajax. He finally seems to have found his place in the Barcelona midfield and, as an added bonus, is finding the back of the net.

Given how Bilbao pressed high in their previous two meetings, having an outlet in midfield who can break that press and build from the back is going to be important. De Jong and Pedri offer that. So does Puig. Pjanic to a lesser extent but he is an experienced player and can provide cover in front of the defense.