Barcelona boss Hansi Flick has confirmed the club are planning on giving Rodri his debut for the club in Thursday’s La Liga game against Athletic Club.
Rodri has signed from Manchester City and has been training with his new team-mates but did not feature in the opening win over Elche.
Flick told his pre-match press conference that “the plan is for him to play a few minutes” on Thursday night at Camp Nou.
He went on to add: “We also have Marc Bernal in that position. Rodri has more experience; he’s
the clear leader. Together with Pedri, he’ll allow us to control the ball and the opponent. That’s very important. We lost possession against Elche. Rodri is one of the best. We’ll enjoy having them together.”
One player who will not feature against the Basque side is Gavi. The midfielder suffered a minor knee injury against Elche and is set for a brief spell on the sidelines.
Flick told reporters: “He’s fine, much better than after the game. We have to wait a week for him to come back.”
Barcelona’s next game is on Monday at home to Rayo Vallecano in La Liga.
