Gomes to replace Busquets and other Barcelona talking points ahead of Athletic Bilbao clash

Andy West 23:28 17/03/2018
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  • Fresh from the triumph of their midweek Champions League tussle with Chelsea, table-topping Barcelona will attempt to continue their march towards domestic glory.

    They will do so with a home meeting against a team which endured worse European fortunes in midweek: Athletic Bilbao, who were sent out of the Europa League by Marseille.

    This is a reunion for Barca coach Ernesto Valverde with his former club, and he has some selection issues to deal with as well.

    Big chances for Alcacer and Alena?

    Luis Suarez is missing after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season in last weekend’s victory at Malaga, depriving Valverde of a player who has scored 16 goals in his last 15 league games. In his place, former Valencia man Paco Alcacer is set to receive a rare start, having not featured since a goalless draw with Getafe more than a month ago.

    There could also be an opportunity to shine for an even more unfamiliar face, with winger Carles Alena called up from the B team with the hope of making his first league appearance of the season. The 20-year-old, who was given three brief substitute appearances towards the end of last season, has caught the eye since coming through the youth system and has scored nine goals for the B team so far this season.

    Alena is unlikely to start, but if Barca build a decent lead an outing from the bench appears to be highly likely.

    Carles Alena could make his first league appearance of the season.

    Carles Alena could make his first league appearance of the season.

    Gomes or Paulinho into the middle?

    Suarez isn’t the only senior player missing, with Sergio Busquets also absent until April with a foot injury sustained during the win over Chelsea. In the past, that might have meant a repositioning for Javier Mascherano into the centre of the field, but the departure of the versatile Argentine to China during the January transfer window will force Valverde to find another option.

    It appears to be a straight choice between Andre Gomes and Paulinho, with the former certainly in need of extended playing time after desperately struggling to establish himself during his 18 months at the club. Gomes would be sure of receiving a warm welcome, however, having admitted the depth of his personal frustrations in an unusually frank interview earlier this week.

    However, with Ivan Rakitic, Philippe Coutinho and Andres Iniesta also available there’s no certainty that either Gomes or Paulinho will start, and the recent repositioning of Rakitic into a deeper-lying midfielder also serves to extend his coach’s possibilities.

    Andre Gomes has had a tough spell at Barcelona.

    Andre Gomes has had a tough spell at Barcelona.

    Can Athletic raise their game against former boss?

    Valverde made an emotional farewell from Bilbao during the summer after four successful years at the club, during which time the team finished no lower than seventh and qualified for the Champions League on one occasion.

    The depth of Valverde’s positive influence is shown by how badly they have struggled since his departure, with a similar squad spending the current campaign near the bottom of the table rather than challenging for a European place.

    Athletic have been particularly poor going forward, managing just 29 goals in their 28 league games so far, not helped by an over-reliance on veteran frontman Aritz Aduriz, who is now 37 years old and has managed just eight goals so far this season.

    But with Aduriz flanked by feisty Raul Garcia and the talented if erratic Inaki Williams, there’s plenty of potential in the Basque club’s ranks, and Valverde will be hoping not to be punished by the players he once led as they meet again this weekend.

    Valverde was the manager at Bilbao for four seasons.

    Valverde was the manager at Bilbao for four seasons.

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