With Barcelona’s season opener against Valencia looming, Hansi Flick will deploy his first official starting 11 as a FC Barcelona coach. With tons of options available at his disposal, lets discuss how Barca could potentially lineup.
Firstly, lets discuss the great deal of absences that Barca have to suffer from. Frenkie De Jong, Ronald Araujo, Gavi, and Ansu Fati all miss out on making the squad due to their injuries. While, Fermin Lopez misses out due to his lack of training since his return from the Olympics.
Vitor Roque and Clement Lenglet miss out on the squad due to the likelihoods of the completion of their exits from Barca completing soon. Dani Olmo also misses out on making the squad as his official registration with La Liga is yet to undergo completion.
The most notable absence, however, has to be Ilkay Gundogan. Gundogan misses out on the fixture due to a head injury he suffered in the Joan Gamper Trophy against Monaco.
Defense
In defense, Barcelona are expected to lineup similarly as they did in the Joan Gamper game. Inigo Martinez and Andreas Christensen will most likely start as Barca’s center backs.
Whereas, Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde are set to feature on their respective flanks. The duo guarantees an ideal combination of offensive approach and defensive retreat.
The most obvious yet most unfortunate inclusion is Marc Andre Ter Stegen in goal. Ter Stegen’s disastrous performance in the Joan Gamper game has the Culers yearning for his long overdue exit.
Midfield
With Gundogan set to miss out, Flick will have a tough decision to make. As Pedri receives the medical green light, Flick would consider starting the 21 year old due to the otherwise lack of experience available in the squad.
Additionally, Marc Casado has left an impeccable impression on Flick and is most likely to start in midfield against Valencia. Moreover, Pablo Torre‘s presence is most probable to be utilised in the advanced midfield position.
Attack
The Catalan’s attack is the most easily predicted part of the lineup. Robert Lewandowski will feature as the team’s sole striker. Whereas, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha are almost guaranteed to feature as Barca’s wingers.
Both the wingers are likely to interchange their flanks within the game, but Raphinha is probable to start on the left while Yamal would start on the right.
