Barcelona look to win their first piece of silverware of the season as the Catalans travel to Saudi Arabia for the 2026 Spanish Super Cup, and their first challenge is a semi-final against historical rivals
Athletic Club.
The Blaugrana have won their last eight games in all competitions and are coming off a huge win in the derby against Espanyol, and will be facing a talented but inconsistent Athletic side as they try to book a spot in Sunday’s final against Real or Atlético Madrid.
Here’s how we think Hansi Flick will line up his troops for Wednesday’s battle:
Defense
Flick has a pretty healthy squad at the moment after the holiday break, so the coach can afford to make one or two changes while still picking a very strong team for this one.
There is some doubt about the goalkeeper spot given this is a Cup competition, but Flick went with his number one from last season, Wojciech Szczesny, as the starter in the Super Cup over Iñaki Peña last year, so we think he’ll stick with Joan Garcia in goal ahead of Szczesny and Marc-André ter Stegen.
Gerard Martín struggled against Espanyol after another tough outing against Villarreal in the last game of 2025, so it might be a good idea to give him a rest and start Eric Garcia alongside Pau Cubarsí at center-back, with Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde retaining their spots at full-back.
Midfield
If Eric does start at center-back, we will finally see the reunion of the Frenkie de Jong and Pedri double pivot, with both having excellent performances against Espanyol at the weekend. Another midfielder who had a big night at Cornellà was Fermín López, and we think Flick will reward his star turn at the weekend with a start in this one.
Attack
Ferran Torres and Marcus Rashford struggled against Espanyol, and we think both will be on the bench for this one as Robert Lewandowski will return to the starting striker spot and Raphinha will start in his more effective role as a left winger. Lamine Yamal, who dominated Athletic in last year’s Super Cup semi-final, will start on the right looking for another big night against the Basques.
Possible XI: Joan; Kounde, Cubarsí, Eric, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Fermín, Raphinha; Lewandowski (4-2-3-1)
How do you think Barcelona should line up against Athletic? Let us know your thoughts, predictions and teams in the comments below!
