How will Barcelona line up against Rayo Vallecano in La Liga?

Barcelona look to extend their winning streak to begin the new La Liga season to three games when the Catalans make the trip to the Spanish capital to meet Rayo Vallecano on Tuesday night.

It’s a short turnaround time for Barça after an impressive display and victory against Athletic Bilbao, but the Blaugrana will look to get past the tired legs and get all three points in what is always a tough trip to Vallecas.

Here’s how we think Hansi Flick will line up his troops for Tuesday’s battle.

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Defense

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This is the first opportunity for Barça fans to learn about Flick’s rotation patterns. He wasn’t a big fan of making several changes between matches while at Bayern Munich, even when the gap between games was as short as this one.

The coach prides himself on having his team physically ready to play many matches in a row without rotating too much, and perhaps wants to select a similar side to the one that beat Athletic to maintain continuity and continue building their fitness in the early stages of the season.

So with that in mind we don’t anticipate many changes if any at all, and the back four should remain intact as Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsí, Iñigo Martínez and Alejandro Balde have looked quite impressive together in the first two games.

Midfield

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If changes are to be made to the side, they will probably happen in midfield. And if there’s one player who should always be carefully monitored, it’s Pedri. The Spanish magician has looked fantastic through two games and every opportunity to rest or play him fewer minutes should be taken, and Marc Casadó’s partnership with Marc Bernal in preseason and in the season opener gives confidence that Pedri can be rested without hurting the team too much.

Fermín López could also benefit from his first start of the season, especially with Dani Olmo’s registration status still unclear and Flick possibly choosing a slightly more defensive midfield setup on the road compared to his very attacking lineup against Athletic at home.

Attack

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If Hansi does indeed go with a more robust midfield setup, then Raphinha would return to the wings despite his excellent display as a number 10 on the weekend. The Brazilian has looked comfortable everywhere in Flick’s system, however, and has undoubtedly been one of the players who has benefitted the most from the change in coaches at Barça.

With Raphinha possibly on the left, the natural two choices for the remaining spots in attack are Lamine Yamal on the right and Robert Lewandowski up front.

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Possible XI: Ter Stegen; Kounde, Cubarsí, Iñigo, Balde; Bernal, Casadó; Yamal, Fermín, Raphinha; Lewandowski (4-2-3-1)

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How do you think Barcelona should line up against Rayo Vallecano? Let us know your thoughts, predictions and teams in the comments below!