After a rigorous pre-season that helped Barcelona shake off the rust, the Catalans face the challenge of securing three points at the Mestalla Stadium today.
Barcelona have drawn two of their last season openers with 0-0 results and, interestingly, received red cards in each of them. As they commemorate Hansi Flick’s first official game in charge, Barcelona will hope to avoid repeating these past mistakes.
Fortunately, the lineup Flick has chosen to kick off the season inspires optimism. Despite several notable absentees with injuries and registration problems looming large, the German manager has assembled a formidable team.
Official Lineup
Marshaling the backline are Pau Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez, who provide a solid blend of ball distribution and defensive grit.
Meanwhile, Alejandro Balde and Jules Kounde have been berthed on the left and right flanks respectively. Balde’s offensive acumen and Kounde’s defensive strengths offer a balanced partnership.
In midfield, Flick has unsurprisingly opted to continue with his double pivot system, with Marc Casado and Marc Bernal receiving the nod. Both profiles complement each other and earned their stripes in the pre-season. Bernal offers stability and ball-winning, while his partner excels at crashing the box higher up the pitch.
Raphinha is set to take on the role of an attacking midfielder following Ilkay Gundogan’s exclusion due to a head injury, which has led to his precautionary omission. It will be intriguing to observe how Raphinha adapts to this new position, as he excels in playing centrally between the lines.
Finally, the front line features Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, and Ferran Torres, a trio that in theory possesses very complementary traits. However, there’s also a possibility that Yamal might feature as a number 10, leveraging his strengths through the middle.
