Barcelona will kick off the new La Liga season with a trip to Valencia early on Sunday morning.
Coach Hansi Flick is about to taste the feeling of La Liga, and the opponent he and his students have to overcome is Valencia. This is a strong team so it will not be easy for the Catalan giant to complete the goal of winning 3 full points.
So how will the German coach arrange the starting lineup for the upcoming match?
Goalkeeper and defense
Marc-Andre ter Stegen is considered a “black spot” for Barcelona with poor performances from the second half of last season and during the summer break. However, considering that at the moment there is no one better than him, the 32-year-old “goalkeeper” will still be the number 1 choice in goal.
Covering Ter Stegen will likely be the central defender duo of Andreas Christensen and Pau Cubarsi. This is the best arrangement at the moment, when Ronald Araujo is injured, Inigo Martinez is playing poorly and Eric Garcia is not outstanding.
The absence of Araujo is a big loss for Barca.
Jules Kounde will remain an indispensable choice at right-back due to his good defensive and offensive abilities. On the opposite side, Alejandro Balde is fully ready for the 2024/25 campaign, and he also played well in the most recent match against AS Monaco.
Midfield
With both Pedri and Frenkie de Jong still recovering from injuries, and Gavi not yet physically ready, Barcelona’s midfield will be quite unfamiliar in the upcoming match. Given his performance in pre-season matches, Marc Casado is likely to be selected to play as a defensive midfielder.
Ilkay Gundogan, who had an impressive 2023/24 season, will certainly start from the start to support his juniors. Completing the midfield trio will be Pablo Torre, whose job is to bring the ball up to the three strikers.
attack
Dani Olmo is not available for the match against Valencia.
The biggest question Barcelona fans are asking Hansi Flick right now is whether he can use Dani Olmo in the match against Valencia or not? With what is happening, the answer is definitely no.
The Spain international has just arrived from RB Leipzig and has not yet been registered with La Liga. He will probably have to wait until the second round of matches to make his official debut for the Catalan giants.
The left-forward role in the clash with Valencia will likely be given to Raphinha, who played quite well at the end of last season. This is also an opportunity for Raphinha to prove himself in the eyes of coach Hansi Flick.
The remaining two names on the attack line will still be Robert Lewandowski as the center forward, and Lamine Yamal on the right wing.