Barcelona look to return to winning ways in La Liga and maintain their narrow advantage at the top of the table when they welcome bottom of the table Real Oviedo to Camp Nou for their first home game of 2026.
Here’s how we think Hansi Flick will line up his troops for Sunday’s battle:
Defense
Barça could begin the game in second place if Real Madrid win on Saturday, so Hansi Flick will likely go with a strong lineup to make sure of the win and then make second half substitutions to rest some of his big names for the massive Champions League game against Copenhagen on Wednesday.
We could still see some minor rotation, though, and we think this is a good opportunity to give João Cancelo his first start of the season in place of Jules Kounde, with Pau Cubarsí and Gerard Martín at center-back and Alejandro Balde on the left. There could also be a start for Ronald Araujo instead of Balde with Martín going to left-back, so don’t rule that out.
Midfield
Barça won’t have their world-class double pivot for the game against Copenhagen but will at least have Frenkie de Jong available for this one before he serves a suspension on Wednesday, and the Dutchman will likely start alongside Eric Garcia in midfield even though Marc Bernal has played more minutes recently and could also find himself in the lineup. Fermín López has been on fire lately, and we think he’ll retain his spot in the number 10 role to try and continue his strong form.
Attack
Lamine Yamal is back in the fold after missing the trip to Prague in midweek through suspension, and the teenager will return to the XI on the right wing. Ferran Torres is expected to miss a second straight game through injury and this is a must-win game, so we think Robert Lewandowski will lead the line and Raphinha will be chosen ahead of Marcus Rashford on the left.
Possible XI: Joan; Cancelo, Cubarsí, Martín, Balde; Eric, De Jong; Yamal, Fermín, Raphinha; Lewandowski (4-2-3-1)
How do you think Barcelona should line up against Oviedo? Let us know your thoughts, predictions and teams in the comments below!
