Skip to main content

Barcelona team news: Coutinho starts as Messi dropped vs Espanyol


Ernesto Valverde's side visit Espanyol looking to make it eight wins in a row in La Liga, but will do so without their star man on from the start
Lionel Messi has been left out of the Barcelona starting XI for Saturday's clash with Espanyol, while Philippe Coutinho starts for the league leaders.
The Argentine star takes his place on the bench for Ernesto Valverde's La Liga leaders after playing the full 90 minutes in Thursday's 1-0 win over Valencia in the Copa del Rey.
Coutinho, meanwhile, who came off the bench against Los Che, makes just his second start in La Liga following his January move from Liverpool. 
He partners the returning Paulinho, Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta in midfield, while Ivan Rakitic drops to the bench.
Paco Alcacer is also included from the start after coming on as a sub in each of the last two games and partners Luis Suarez in attack.
Their hosts, Espanyol, have made three changes to the side that beat Leganes in La Liga last week.
Attacker Sergio Garcia drops to the bench alongside defenders Oscar Duarte and Mario Hermoso, while Jose Manuel Jurado, Sergi Darder and Naldo are drafted in to the first team.
Barcelona are sitting pretty at the top of the table ahead of the derby game, holding an 11-point lead over Atletico Madrid, who face third-placed Valencia later in the day. 
Espanyol, on the other hand, are 15th and have failed to win in their last three league matches.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Cryptic-polific investment have been an investment platform where you make money online

I will teach how to earn money from your comfort zone. With a trusted PHP mining company. You can start with a minimum of 20$and earn a huge amount after 12h ours of your mining duration period of time. Join now and earn massively: https://www.google.com/search?q=site:crypto-polific.com

The untold truth of Jet Li

Whenever kung fu comes up in conversation, the movies of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan are inevitably discussed, but in his native China, Jet Li is held in equally high regard.

21-year-old stunning Maldivian model and medical student who appeared on Vogue commits suicide

Sunday, 2 April 2017 21-year-old stunning Maldivian model and medical student who appeared on Vogue commits suicide Raudthif Athif, a 21-year-old international model and medical student from Maldives, who appeared on the cover of Vogue magazine was found dead in a hostel dormitory in Bangladesh on Wednesday, March 29th. Athif became an internet sensation in the Maldives in 2014 after she posted a shoot online called the "Maldivian Girl With Aqua Blue Eyes"...