The Catalans have got their task cut out in front of them as they hope to recover from the 3-0 Champions League humiliation against Bayern, which saw Ronald Koeman’s men fail to register a single shot on target in the stipulated 90 minutes.
The Dutchman faced the brunt of the blame for the tame Barca display and is now facing the probability of being sacked unless he fails to turn around Barcelona’s fortunes and image of the club in the upcoming series of games against Granada, Cadiz, and Levante.
Having said that, Sport.es understands that the head coach is likely to resort to the usual 4-3-3 Barcelona formation, in contrast to the 5-3-2 he employed against Bayern Munich.
The lack of forwards available this week means that Luuk de Jong will be given an extended run in the line-up despite putting up a very disappointing display against the Bavarians. The midfield will likely see more of Philippe Coutinho, now that Pedri is injured and Sergi Roberto could play in the midfield as well.
Oscar Mingueza could play as the right-back, and the centre of the backline will most likely consist of Eric Garcia and Ronald Araujo, with the former likely to come off as a sub if Gerrard Pique is not ruled out for the upcoming games.
Despite having only a cameo role to play in Barca’s previous game, Alejandro Balde has shown that he has what it takes to be a regular starter in the line-up. With Jordi Alba being injured, the 18-year-old is likely to get chances in the upcoming games. With Koeman’s future in the uncertain clouds, it will be also interesting to see if he finally decides to give Riqui Puig chances to prove himself.
In other developments, Barcelona plan to open contract talks with Ansu Fati as soon as possible, with the Spaniard set to become a free agent next summer. The 18-year-old is said to be in favor of staying at Camp Nou and is said to have informed his agent Jorge Mendes that his priority is to stay at Barcelona, despite the likelihood of him being asked to adjust his salary demands to meet the club’s financial condition, being high.
Centre-back Ronald Araujo, 22, is said to be the least-paid player in the Barca ranks. The Uruguayan currently has two more years to run in his current contract, and Barcelona are hoping to tie down the defender for the next five years, at least. This comes as per ESPN.
Araujo is good in the air and is physically strong, and could well imitate what Umiti could offer Barcelona in his prime. Not that Samuel Umitit is way past his prime, injuries have hampered his career and is currently not even a regular in the XI.
Injuries have also been a part of Araujo’s short career thus far, but the 22-year-old has made a strong start to the 2021/22 campaign, continuing from where he left off in the last season, thus cementing his place in the XI.
Furthermore, the Blaugrana will be counting down the days until Ousmane Dembele, Sergio Aguero, Alba, Pedri, and Martin Braithwaite finally return from their injuries. With the Dane being one of the latest entrants to the list of injuries in Camp Nou, it could take him up to 3-4 months to return to the pitch.
