There is a very good chance that Luuk de Jong will make his debut in the base for Barcelona on Tuesday evening. Ronald Koeman has hardly any attacking options left for the first Champions League game of the season, at home against Bayern Munich, which makes De Jong the most logical choice in the point of attack.
Barcelona has been without Ousmane Dembele, Sergio Aguero and Ansu Fati for a long time and Martin Braithwaite recently also suffered a serious knee injury. The Catalans have only three pure attackers left with Memphis Depay, De Jong and the only eighteen-year-old Yusuf Demir. A bright spot for Koeman is that Philippe Coutinho has recently recovered from a lingering knee injury. The Brazilian can play as a hanging wing striker and could therefore be an extra option in the attack.
Koeman spoke at the press conference on Monday about the option to draft Coutinho directly. “We know that Philippe has been away for a long time, but he is getting better every day. He still has to take the last step,” said Koeman, who is more positive about De Jong’s fitness. “It is different with him. He has not played for a long time, but is physically fine and he also needs minutes.”
If Koeman only wants to field De Jong and Depay, because he probably does not think Demir and Coutinho are ripe for the base, then a 5-3-2 system will be a real option. The Dutch trainer was also asked about this at the press conference. “More important than the system is to keep control,” Koeman said. “If you lose the ball in the back, Bayern can do a lot of damage. They are physically capable of that and they have speed up front. It is important to handle possession with care.”
Barcelona will probably also have to do without Sergiño Dest, who suffered a sprained ankle with the United States national team. As a result, Sergi Roberto will probably play as a right-back. Jordi Alba also has minor complaints, but can probably still play. Gerard Pique has recovered from calf problems and will take a central position in the defence. There, Koeman has a lot of choice with Eric García, Ronald Araújo, Clément Lenglet and Samuel Umtiti, which makes the choice for a 5-3-2 system more likely.
Probable Barcelona line-up: Ter Stegen; Roberto, Araújo, Pique, Garcia, Alba; Pedri, Busquets, De Jong; De Jong, Depay