Barcelona look for a strong start to their La Liga home campaign as the reigning back-to-back champions face historic rivals Athletic Club at Camp Nou.
Here’s how we think Hansi Flick will line up his troops for Thursday’s battle:
Defense
Barça got off to an excellent start at the weekend against Elche and now return home where they finished last season with a historic perfect record at Camp Nou, and Flick will be looking to ride the momentum of the team that played so well in the second half on Sunday.
We
will likely see only one change at the back since Andreas Christensen needs to be managed carefully and isn’t expected to start two games in four days, so Pau Cubarsí will probably make his season debut after his summer glory with Spain.
Gerard Martín is Cubarsí’s trusted partner and will start again at center-back, with Eric Garcia picked ahead of Jules Kounde at right-back and young Xavi Espart retaining his place on the left given the fact João Cancelo is still not fully fit and Alejandro Balde’s status is uncertain at best.
Midfield
Even though Gavi survived an injury scare at the weekend and only suffered a bruise on his knee, it’s prudent not to risk him in this one so Pedri will take his place in the lineup alongside Marc Bernal and Fermín López.
We are all excited to see the debut of new signing Rodri that could very well happen in this one, but he’s had just a couple of sessions with the squad and will likely come off the bench to get a great ovation from the home crowd in the second half.
Attack
Barça’s attack put on a show in the second half on Sunday and the noise about the striker position has quieted down for now, especially after Raphinha’s amazing performance as a center-forward. He will start in that spot again, with Karim Adeyemi keeping his place on the left after an excellent competitive debut at the weekend.
Lamine Yamal is very much in preseason form and needs minutes to gain rhythm, so the teenager will start again on the right looking to bounce back from a supbar display against Elche.
Possible XI: Joan; Eric, Cubarsí, Martín, Espart; Fermín, Bernal, Pedri; Yamal, Raphinha, Adeyemi (4-3-3)
How do you think Barcelona should line up against Athletic? Let us know your thoughts, predictions and teams in the comments below!
