That long injury list at the Catalan club is getting shorter now, and that has granted manager Hansi Flick more options now in selection. You saw some major squad rotation on Tuesday night, in the thrashing of Mallorca. For the weekend fixture at Real Betis, expect wholesale changes to the first team again.
This lineup will likely feature more of the usual starters. But maybe Ronald Araujo makes his season debut in a late second half cameo off the bench?
FC Barcelona at Real Betis FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. Dec 7, 4:15 CET, Benito Villamarin, Sevilla, Spain
Barca Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
La Liga Standing, Form: Real Betis 10th 20 pts, WDDLL FC Barcelona 1st, 37 pts, WLDLW
Google Result Probability: Real Betis 20% Draw 22% FC Barcelona 58%
Ferran Torress started up top in midweek, with Pau Victor relieving him, but you can expect that platoon to go back to the bench here. It is now Lewy time again in center forward role. Expect some shuffling behind him in the attacking midfield too.
Barca predicted lineup at Real Betis (4-2-3-1)
Inaki Pena; Jules Kounde, Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, Alejandro Balde; Frenkie De Jong, Marc Casado; Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Fermin Lopez; Lewandowski.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
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