Pau Cubarsí played his best game of the season so far after a slow start to the campaign, and we expect him to start this one alongside Andreas Christensen at center-back, with the Dane looking pretty good before and during the international break and coming off a rest at the weekend. Jules Kounde and Gerard Martín will retain their full-back spots, with Eric García and Ronald Araujo likely on the bench for this one.
Barça's midfield will be the biggest key to success on Thursday against a very talented and hard-working trio of Bruno Guimarães, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton on the other side, and the expected return of Frenkie de Jong should give the Catalans a boost in terms of press resistance and passing ability in the middle. Pedri, who has been simply sublime to start the campaign, will also be massive in the buildup phase, and will retain his spot in the double pivot. There's a chance Marc Casadó starts for De Jong if the Dutchman isn't quite ready to start, but all indications are that Frenkie will be ready to go.