How will Barcelona line up against Villarreal?

Barcelona play their first league game of the season on Sunday when they face Villarreal at the Camp Nou.

The Catalan giants had their first two games of the season postponed, but are now ready to make their first competitive outing under new boss Ronald Koeman.

Barça’s starting eleven will also look a little different. There will be neither Luis Suárez, nor Ivan Rakitic, nor Arturo Vidal nor Nelson Semedo either. Let’s see who could appear:

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Neto will remain in the Barcelona goal with the usual starter Marc-Andre ter Stegen out for a while with a knee injury. He is not expected to return until the end of October at the earliest.

Sergi Roberto appears to be the club’s only right-back, so he is practically guaranteed a starting position, while Jordi Alba seems ready to start on the opposite flank.

Gerard Piqué and Clement Lenglet are expected to be the two center-backs, although Ronald Araujo could make the playlist this season.

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Ronald Koeman is expected to play double pivot in an attempt to try to get the best out of Frenkie de Jong. The Dutchman should start alongside Sergio Busquets with newcomer Miralem Pjanic having missed the start of the preseason.

There are other options too, of course. Carles Alena is available, and he started against Nastic in preseason, but it seems more likely that the 22-year-old will have to settle for a spot on the bench.

Photo by Pedro Salado / Quality Sport Images / Getty Images

In attack and that’s where it should get interesting. Koeman has said he wants to play Antoine Griezmann in a central position, and it seems certain that he will eventually replace Suarez.

Captain Lionel Messi is also guaranteed a start with Koeman, while Philippe Coutinho will likely get the nod after returning from Bayern and scoring a couple of goals in the preseason.

All of which means there’s a place left in the attack and plenty of options. Ansu Fati seems to be the favorite, but Ousmane Dembele and Francisco Trincao will also hope to get the go-ahead.

Possible XI: Net; Roberto, Piqué, Lenglet, Alba; Busquets, De Jong; Messi, Coutinho, Ansu, Griezmann.

Who do you think should leave for Barcelona on Sunday? Let us know your thoughts, teams, and predictions in the comments below!