Three days after suffering its first La Liga defeat, Barcelona returns to Champions League action against Young Boys.
Hansi Flick's tenure at Barcelona got off to a perfect start in La Liga. The Catalans won their first seven La Liga matches and went four points clear of Real Madrid atop the table. Amid the club's domestic success, though, it suffered a tough Champions League defeat against Monaco. Flick's side went down to ten men after Eric García received a red card in the 10th minute and could not salvage any points from the contest.
Now, Barcelona looks to secure its first UCL victory under its new manager, but the fixture comes soon after a 4–2 defeat against Osasuna. Flick opted to rotate his lineup for the La Liga match, leaving Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Marc Casadó, Iñigo Martínez and Alejandro Balde on the bench, and dropped points as a result.
To get Barcelona's European campaign back on track, expect Flick will put out his strongest XI against Young Boys. Frenkie de Jong is also available to the manager; the Dutchman is back from an ankle injury that kept him on the sidelines for over five months.
Here's what Barcelona's XI could look like against Young Boys.
Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. Young Boys (4-2-3-1)
GK: Iñaki Peña–The keeper makes his first Champions League appearance for Barcelona this season in place of the injured Marc-André ter Stegen.
RB: Jules Koundé–The Frenchman is only one of two players to start every game for Barcelona under Flick. He will start his 10th consecutive match on Tuesday.
CB: Pau Cubarsí–After Barcelona conceded four goals against Osasuna, Cubarsí will be eager to once again line up alongside Martínez and deliver a better defensive effort.
CB: Iñigo Martínez–Martínez was fully rested on Saturday after picking up a minor knock mid-week, but the center-back is ready to go against Young Boys.
LB: Alejandro Balde–Expect the 20-year-old to return to his starting spot on the left-flank after only playing 20 minutes against Osasuna.
DM: Marc Casadó–Casadó will get the nod alongside Pedri as Eric García serves his suspension.
DM: Pedri–The 21-year-old will look to bounce back from his poor performance in Barcelona's first UCL fixture against Monaco.
RW: Lamine Yamal–Yamal scored his first Champions League goal in Barcelona's UCL opener and comes into Tuesday's fixture with five goals and five assists across all competitions.
AM: Pablo Torre–While Dani Olmo recovers, Torre will start as the Catalans' No. 10. After scoring and assisting in his first La Liga start, the 21-year-old has become Flick's preferred attacking midfielder.
LW: Raphinha–Raphinha's presence on the left-wing was missed at the weekend. The Brazilian should find plenty of success against Zachary Athekame, who struggled against Aston Villa just two weeks ago.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. Young Boys: Champions League.
