Tottenham will meet Barcelona at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday night in the Champions League. Since matchday 1, the two clubs have had differing form in all competitions. Tottenham have rebounded from a mini-crisis that saw them lose three straight matches.
It was topped off with a loss to Inter Milan on Champions league matchday 1. Spurs have won three straight matches in all competitions since losing at the San Siro. Meanwhile, Barcelona go into matchday 2 winless in their last three games. The Spanish giants have dropped seven points from a possible nine in La Liga.
Manager Ernesto Valverde attempted to rest Lionel Messi at the weekend against Athletic Bilbao. Barcelona were poor in the captain’s absence and he was introduced to the match in the 55th minute, down 1-0. Messi was able to lead the team back into the game, but only for a 1-1 draw. Barcelona’s recent dip in form has once again shown just how reliable they are on Messi to create goals or score.
The Argentine’s three goals against PSV Eindhoven on matchday 1 paved over cracks in Barcelona’s performance. Despite winning 4-0, three of the goals came after the 74th minute. Valverde needs to turn around Barcelona’s performances immediately, but he will be without key players for Wednesday’s crunch fixture. Centre-back Samuel Umtiti is suspended while right-back Sergi Roberto is injured.
Valverde has left £36.5 million summer signing Malcom out of the squad. The move has raised eyebrows despite Malcom barely featuring for the club this term. He has played just 25 minutes and was not in the squad for last Saturday’s match with Athletic.
In an attempt to kickstart their form, it has been speculated by Spanish media that Barcelona will shift from a 4-4-2 to a 4-3-3 formation. The latter is the typical way in which Barcelona have played for decades, but Valverde has favoured the two-striker formation since taking over as manager.
Rumours of Pep Guardiola returning to Barcelona were fuelled on Wednesday. Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartoemu ‘extended a public welcome’ for Guardiola to return to the club. The move raises questions around Valverde’s position and power at Camp Nou.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino should feel good about playing Barcelona in their current state. However, the former Espanyol coach is facing injuries to key players. Centre-back Jan Vertonghen will miss the fixture along with attacking midfielder Dele Alli. Hugo Lloris could return in goal and midfielder Christian Eriksen may be fit enough to start.
Both Tottenham and Barcelona have their fair share of problems. Neither club will be able to get the upper-hand in the fixture and matchday 2 will end in a score draw.