FC Barcelona is on the hunt for another league title, kicking off its campaign for a third straight La Liga crown Sunday, Aug. 23 with a visit to Elche.
Teenage sensation Lamine Yamal helped push the club to a second consecutive league title last year as manager Hansi Flick continues to get things right in Catalonia.
But it feels like a new era at Barcelona - for good and bad. The good news is almost all new signings have been registered, with Rodri, Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi all eligible to debut against Elche - even if it may come too soon for the World Cup winner as he continues to work to full fitness. Only Joao Cancelo is yet to be registered with the league, with that expected to come next week.
That feels like a departure from the
Barcelona of old that often struggled with financial regulations. Yet, it came in part because of departures, with Ferran Torres off to PSG, RobertLewandowski joining the Chicago Fire and Ronald Araujo loaned to Liverpool.
Barcelona still looks like the team to beat in Spain, but Real Madrid also had a busy offseason and hopes the return of Jose Mourinho to the bench will help jolt the team back to the title.
Here's who could start for Barcelona in the first game of what the club hopes is a third title defense:
FC Barcelona projected lineup vs Elche
- Goalkeeper: Joan Garcia
- Defenders: Eric Garcia, Andreas Christensen, Gerard Martin, Alejandro Balde
- Midfielders: Fermin Lopez, Marc Bernal, Espart, Xavi
- Forwards: Lamine Yamal, Hamza Abdelkarim, Raphinha
When is Elche vs Barcelona?
- When: Sunday, Aug. 23
- Where: Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero (Elche, Spain)
- Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
- Channel/streaming: ABC (Watch LIVE on Fubo), ESPN Deportes
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Barcelona projected lineup vs Elche: Will Rodri start La Liga champs' opener?
