3 ways Barcelona can lineup against Real Madrid

FC Barcelona host Real Madrid for the 84th time in LaLiga history at the Camp Nou on 28th October. There has been an unsettled feeling at Real Madrid, after the poor start Julen Lopetegui's side has made, going winless in 5 games before the Los Blancos edged Viktoria Plzen 2-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday.

The team that will be hosting the game on Sunday are sitting pretty on top of the table but will be without their skipper for the ultimate showdown.

Ernesto Valverde's side suffered a huge blow when record goalscorer in El Clasico, Lionel Messi, had to be taken off following an injury against Sevilla which will keep him out for at least three weeks in the sidelines. The Argentine fractured his arm when he landed awkwardly following a tussle for the ball with Franco Vazquez.

In addition to this headache, Barcelona will also be without Samuel Umtiti and Thomas Vermaelen. On the other hand, Real Madrid will be without Daniel Carvajal, who sustained a calf injury earlier this month.

In this piece, we shall look at the possibilities of Barcelona's starting lineup against Real Madrid on Sunday.

#1) 4-3-3

4-3-3 is the primary Valverde setup.

The 4-3-3 is the formation Ernesto Valverde has used the most since he has arrived at Barcelona. The Spanish manager prefers this formation because he is more reliant on perfect balance and defensive astuteness to protect the backline from getting breached.

The midfield trio consisting of Busquets, Arthur and Rakitic should keep their place because they have a great understanding, and the perfect balance in terms of attack and defense.

When both the full-backs get high up the pitch, one of Arthur or Rakitic decides to stay along with Sergio Busquets in middle of the park to shield the defense. This gives enough freedom for the full-backs to run up the flanks and the attackers to move forward. It will be an interesting battle, as the Real Madrid are not in good defensive shape at the moment.

Barcelona do not have many options in the defense department, since it is plauged with multiple injuries. Nelson Semedo could replace Sergio Roberto in the right-back position. However, the shot-stopper Ter Stegen, who looks to be in form of his life, will keep his place.

French international Ousmane Dembele could be heading into the starting eleven, instead of Rafinha, who was a goalscorer on Wednesday against Inter Milan in the Champions League.

#2) 4-2-3-1

4-2-3-1 could be another option

A 4-2-3-1 with Luis Suarez up front would increase the number of balls to the Uruguayan. Additionally, the Barcelona wingers Coutinho and Dembele will be raring to go against Marcelo and Odriozola. The Spanish manager has not used this formation frequently, but this could be the one which would cut down the Real Madrid midfielders from running the show.

If Busquets, Roberto, and Rakitic find a way to close down the opponents, it could be a very long day for Julen Lopetegui's men. Should they deploy this system, Ivan Rakitic could play a key role by unsettling Casemiro, who is prone to mistakes from opponents pressing, whereas Kroos and Modric are press-resistant players, and would play in full flow.

Make no mistake, Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane are extraordinary defenders, but when the midfielders get exposed, they struggle to cope up with the opponent's attack. Semedo looks to have matured under the Spanish manager, and Alba is one of the leading full-backs in the world. But, they would be wary of the attack possessed by Bale and Isco.

Karim Benzema, who was hitting the top gear at the start of the season, has struggled to find his feet in recent weeks, but Pique and Lenglet should be aware of his goalscoring threat.

#3) 4-2-2-2

Valverde has used 4-2-2-2 at times.

The 4-2-2-2 is another formation Ernesto Valverde has adopted at Barcelona when he wanted to change the personnel at times. Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez did start up front against Deportivo Alaves, which saw them come away as comfortable winners by a margin of 3 goals at Nou Camp earlier this season.

When Barcelona do not look in full flow, Valverde plays two strikers up front to make things happen. Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele could start up front, while the Brazilians Coutinho and Rafinha could act as attacking midfielders to help the link between midfield and attack.

Arthur could make way, for Rakitic and Busquets to start in the middle of the park. Busquets is a conventional defensive midfielder, whereas Rakitic has the capability to play anywhere across the park. Keeping the midfield of Luka Modric, Casemeiro and Toni Kroos in mind, Valverde would like to press high up the pitch to stop the supply to the forwards of Real Madrid.

While this might effectively be a 4-3-3, the additional attacking freedom given to Dembele and Rafinha could catch the Real Madrid defense off-guard.