Barcelona look to bounce back from a painful defeat in El Clasico with a home game against newly-promoted Elche at the Montjuïc Olympic Stadium.
The Catalans continue to struggle to play consistent football
in the middle of an injury crisis that got even worse with the confirmed absence of Pedri for the next several weeks, and the first game without The Wizard is against the surprise package of La Liga after the first three months of the season.
Here’s how we think Hansi Flick will line up his troops for Sunday’s battle:
Defense
Barça had a full week to rest and prepare for this one and have limited options due to injury anyway, so we expect Flick to go with a strong XI to make sure of the points at home ahead of two important away games against Club Brugge and Celta Vigo.
The coach has settled on Pau Cubarsí and Eric Garcia as his favorite center-back partnership and Ronald Araujo seems to be more of an attacking bench option than a defensive one right now, so we think the Uruguayan will be a substitute again. Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde have been far from stellar lately, but will likely retain their full-back spots in this one.
Midfield
Life without Pedri begins for the first time under Flick, and Frenkie de Jong is expected to assume the role of midfield maestro with a more defense player alongside him. Marc Casadó is the obvious choice, especially with Marc Bernal still not fit enough to start and reportedly struggling in training. Dani Olmo is back from injury which is great news, but he’s still not ready for big minutes which means another start for Fermín López in the number 10 role.
Attack
Robert Lewandowski has returned from injury and is back in training, which is excellent news given the current nightmare. The Pole isn’t ready to lead the line from the start just yet, though, so we think Ferran Torres will begin up front after another full week to rebuild his fitness. Lamine Yamal and Marcus Rashford will likely retain their spots on the wings, though Roony Bardghji and Dro Fernández are in contention if Flick decides to rest either of his star attackers for this one.
Possible XI: Szczesny; Kounde, Cubarsí, Eric, Balde; Casadó, De Jong; Yamal, Fermín, Rashford; Ferran (4-2-3-1)
How do you think Barcelona should line up against Elche? Let us know your thoughts, predictions and teams in the comments below!
