Aguero set for first Barca start as Koeman fights for his job

27 Oct 2021 08:44 BST
3 min read

Sergio Aguero in action for Barcelona against Real Madrid in La Liga — © ProShots

Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman is set to put his faith in Sergio Aguero to fire the club out of trouble on Wednesday.

Aguero has been beset by injury problems since arriving at Camp Nou in the summer and has been restricted to substitute appearances to date.

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Barca have suffered for the absence of the Argentina international forward and find themselves ninth in La Liga ahead of Wednesday’s fixture.

They have suffered damaging losses against Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid in La Liga while they are under pressure in the Champions League after defeats to Bayern Munich and Benfica.

Last time out, Barcelona suffered a 2-1 home loss in El Clasico, with Aguero’s goal arriving much too late to have an influence on the game.

I think it's important that we win this game, we cannot afford back-to-back losses

- Ronald Koeman

Naturally, head coach Koeman finds himself under pressure as a consequence. He even admitted that a defeat against Rayo Vallecano in midweek could prove to be his last in charge of Barca.

“I think it's important that we win this game in Madrid, we cannot afford back-to-back losses,” he admitted.

“I'm a grown up and I know how these things work. I want to enjoy the time that I have left, if it is eight years, six months, one year, or some weeks.”

How Barcelona could line up against Rayo Vallecano

Barca line up v Ray Vallecano — © ProShots

Now, Koeman is set to field Aguero from the beginning for the first time as he fights for his job.

Previously, the forward has been restricted to just 34 minutes of competitive football this season, while his last start at club level was Man City’s 2-1 loss to Chelsea in the Premier League on 8 May.

This will be just Aguero’s sixth club start of 2021.

The former Manchester City ace should lead the line for Barca at Vallecas, with Memphis Depay shunted to a role on the left, where Ansu Fati had played at the weekend.

This is poised to be one of only two changes that Barca make in their starting XI compared to the one that was defeated against Real Madrid. Sergi Roberto should come into the midfield for the injured Frenkie de Jong.

Koeman finds his hands still tied by injury, with Ronald Araujo, Ousmane Dembele, Martin Braithwaite and Pedri all still absent for Barcelona.

Read more about: La Liga, Barcelona, Sergio Aguero