Barcelona manager to make tactical tweak for Copa del Rey clash vs Athletic Club tonight

Barcelona face one of the biggest tests of their season thus far when they take on Athletic Club away at San Mames later tonight in the Copa del Rey.

A spot in the semi-finals of the competition awaits tonight’s winner and Barcelona would be eager to be the one to come out on top, having already lost the Spanish Super Cup this season.

Given what’s at stake, Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez is expected to name his strongest possible lineup, but there may be one or two surprises in store when the teamsheet is unveiled.

Four midfielders again?

According to AS, Barcelona boss Xavi is set to deploy four central midfielders against Athletic Club tonight, moving away from a traditional 4-3-3 with three forwards.

The four central midfielders tactic is something that Xavi relied heavily on last season on Barcelona’s way to winning the La Liga and the Copa del Rey trophies.

This time out, though, the head coach has fielded three attackers more often than not, although the four-man midfield tactic has surfaced every now and then – more recently in the Spanish Super Cup final debacle against Real Madrid.

Fermin Lopez could start vs Athletic Club. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

But as things stand, the report claims that everything indicates that Xavi will revert to using four central midfielders again.

Ilkay Gundogan, Pedri, and Frenkie de Jong are likely to occupy the three positions in the centre of the park, with one of Sergi Roberto or Fermin Lopez deployed on the flank as a false winger.

The additional midfielder would likely come in at the expense of Lamine Yamal, with Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres expected to start again.

What else could Xavi change?

There could be an alteration in the defensive unit with Xavi likely to replace young Pau Cubarsi with Andreas Christensen, who is back fit after recovering from his discomfort.

Cubarsi played a good game against Real Betis on his La Liga debut on Sunday, but the Barcelona manager would not wish to expose him to too much pressure so early in his senior career.

Meanwhile, Jules Kounde is expected to continue at right-back despite Joao Cancelo’s return to the squad.