Hansi Flick has made a successful start to his Barcelona adventure. In the opening game of the season, his team made up for the deficit and won away to Valencia 2:1. Robert Lewandowski responded twice to Hugo Duro's goal. The Pole began his third season in the colours of the Catalan club.
This is how Barcelona will play against Athletic. The journalist revealed the line-up
The past week has been a turbulent one for Barcelona. Ilkay Gundogan left the club, but the Catalans have still not managed to register their latest signing, Dani Olmo. This means the former RB Leipzig player will not make his debut against Athletic.
This does not mean that there will be no changes. According to information obtained by “Forbes” journalist Tom Sanderson, Hansi Flick decided to make one change in the starting eleven. In goal, fans will of course see Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who has become the new captain of the team. The defensive line will also remain unchanged. Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde will fill the defense, while Pau Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez will once again form the center-back duo due to the absence of the injured Ronald Araujo.
Marc Casado, who is not yet 21, and Marc Bernal, who is four years younger, will be responsible for the centre of the pitch, and there will be no surprises in the centre of attack either. Robert Lewandowski will start in the first team. The trio of players behind him will be made up of Raphinha, Pedri and Lamine Yamal. It is easy to see that compared to the match with Valencia, Ferran Torres will be missing from the eleven.
He will be replaced by the aforementioned Pedri, who was injured during the Euro 2024 quarter-final against Germany. However, it seems that his health is fine now. Thanks to this, he will replace Raphinha in the attacking midfielder position. The Brazilian will be moved to the wing at the expense of the aforementioned Torres.
The clashes between Athletic and Barcelona were extremely close last season. In the Basque Country, the match ended in a 0-0 draw, while in Catalonia, the hosts won narrowly. The only goal was scored by Marc Guiu, who will certainly not repeat this feat. He is a player who moved to Chelsea in the summer.
Barcelona's expected lineup: ter Stegen – Balde, Inigo, Cubarsi, Kounde – Bernal, Casado – Raphinha, Pedri, Yamal – Lewandowski