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They need to end the crisis: Barcelona visit Valencia with this starting lineup

The Catalan team have lost their last two games and need a win.

By Darwin Largo

The Catalan team have lost their last two games and need a win.

Barcelona have had a terrible week. Last Sunday they lost 3-2 against Girona, the leaders of the La Liga standings, and were far away from the top of the tournament. And three days later they suffered another unexpected blow when they were beaten by Royal Antwerp in the Champions League, who had lost all their matches in Group H up to that point.

 

These results, coupled with the team's poor performances, caused criticism from fans and the press. The main target was coach Xavi Hernandez, who was questioned for his strategic decisions and interpretation of the matches, but also some of the squad's players are considered responsible for their disappointing level.

This Saturday Los Blaugranas have the opportunity to turn the page and show that they are ready to start again. They will visit Valencia at Mestalla, looking for a win that will allow them to regain their place among the top teams in La Liga. But it is also a pressure, because if they do not get the desired result, their chances of competing for the title could disappear.

Coach Xavi Hernandez decided that the starting lineup will be: Iñaki Peña; Joao Cancelo, Ronald Araujo, Jules Koundé, Alex Balde; Ilkay Gundogan, Frenkie De Jong, Pedri; Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, Joao Felix. Also on the bench will be Diego Kochen, Ander Astralaga, Andreas Christensen, Hector Fort, Pau Cubarsí, Sergio Roberto, Marc Casado, Fermín Lopez, Oriol Romeu, Ferran Torres, Marc Guiu and Lamine Yamal.

 

For Valencia it is also an important challenge

The performance of the 'Che' team during this season has been irregular. That is why they are in the middle of the standings with 19 points, 7 points away from the qualification zone for international tournaments. But this Saturday they will have the opportunity to get an important victory against Barcelona, which would be key to start improving. Coach Ruben Baraja chose this XI: Giorgi Mamardashvili; Thierry Correia, Cristhian Mosquera, Mouctar Diakhaby, Jesus Vazquez; Francisco Martinez, Hugo Guillamon, Pepelu, Diego Lopez Noguerol; Roman Yaremchuk, Hugo Duro.

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