Defensive worries for Barcelona before the trip to Atletico Madrid



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Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman faces a central defender problem ahead of his La Liga trip to Atlético de Madrid this weekend.

The injuries to Samuel Umtiti and Ronald Araujo mean that Gerard Piqué and Clement Lenglet are the only two fit top center-backs included in their squad to travel to Wanda Metropolitano.

Oscar Mingueza has been called up from Team B as a cover option on the bench, but Koeman can’t afford any more defensive injuries.

The club have confirmed that Brazilian international Philippe Coutinho has passed in form, but Sergio Busquets is out after sustaining an injury in international service, with Miralem Pjanic ready to intervene.

With Ansu Fati out of the game until 2021 after undergoing knee surgery, Koeman is expected to start with Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele against Diego Simeone’s side, according to a report from Marca.

BARCELONA POSSIBLE START XI V ATLÉTICO MADRID

Ter Stegen; Dest, Piqué, Lenglet, Alba; Pjanic, De Jong, Coutinho; Messi, Griezmann, Dembélé



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