Barcelona look to bounce back from a painful defeat in the Cup when they make a short trip to face Catalan rivals Girona in a crucial La Liga match.
Here’s how we think Hansi Flick will line up his troops for Monday’s battle:
Defense
Barça will finally have some relief in the schedule as they won’t have any midweek commitments for the next two weeks, so we think Flick will go with a strong team in this one to make sure of the points and then give some extra rest to his troops.
Every single player at the back
struggled in the defeat to Atlético Madrid and it’s easy to call for an entire change to the defense, but we actually think the coach will give his favorite backline combination of Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsí, Eric Garcia and Alejandro Balde a show of trust and start them again in this one.
Midfield
Barça’s midfield also struggled in Madrid and Frenkie de Jong had a rare off-night, but the Dutchman remains the team’s best hope for control and dominance in the middle of the park. We think he’ll start alongside Marc Bernal in this one, with Fermín López starting in the number 10 spot and Dani Olmo going to the bench.
Attack
Raphinha is expected to return to the squad but probably won’t be fit to play all 90 minutes, so we think Flick will save the Brazilian for the second half in this one and start Ferran Torres on the left, with Robert Lewandowski leading the line and Lamine Yamal starting on the right.
Possible XI: Joan; Kounde, Cubarsí, Eric, Balde; De Jong, Bernal; Yamal, Fermín, Ferran; Lewandowski (4-2-3-1)
How do you think Barcelona should line up against Girona? Let us know your thoughts, predictions and teams in the comments below!
