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Barcelona predicted lineup vs Real Sociedad: First lineup without Lionel Messi

By Parth Jhaveri

Barcelona's French midfielder Antoine Griezmann. (Photo by LLUIS GENE / AFP) (Photo by LLUIS GENE/AFP via Getty Images)
Barcelona's French midfielder Antoine Griezmann. (Photo by LLUIS GENE / AFP) (Photo by LLUIS GENE/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Sergio Busquets of Barcelona
Sergio Busquets of FC Barcelona. (Photo by Pedro Salado/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images) /

Midfield:

Central defensive midfield: Sergio Busquets

The new Barcelona captain Sergio Busquets still runs the show in the midfield, controlling the tempo of Barcelona’s play and allowing the likes of Pedri and de Jong to surge forward. With age, he’s got slower but he is still miles better than most of the defensive midfielders in the world. Now that the Spaniard is the captain of the team, he’ll have to be more vocal on the pitch and set an example for the youngsters.

Central midfielder: Frenkie de Jong

Frenkie de Jong was reportedly out for three weeks after suffering a muscle injury in his right leg. It now appears he has miraculously recovered earlier as he trained on Friday. De Jong has had an excellent season and was one of the best performers under Koeman and has orchestrated the role of a midfield general brilliantly.

Central midfielder: Pedri

Pedri will be a part of Barcelona’s squad and possibly even start against Real Sociedad, despite just returning from a discursive and exhausting season. Pedri has had no days off, playing a staggering 73 games last season. The 18-year-old operates in a free role where he can use his imagination to create chances.

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