Champions League action is back and Barcelona are traveling east to face Slavia Prague on Wednesday night, well aware that anything but victory would be a significant blow to their European campaign.
Defeats against Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, along with a chaotic draw vs. Club Brugge, have Barcelona on the outside looking in of the top eight in the league phase standings. With only two games left, Hansi Flick’s men need consecutive victories to have any hope of qualifying directly to the round of 16.
Although Barcelona have looked significantly better over the past two months, they’re coming off their first defeat since November with a frustrating loss against Real Sociedad at the weekend. To make matters a little more complicated, Lamine Yamal will miss the game because of yellow card accumulation and Ferran Torres due to injury.
Still, against one of the worst teams in the competition so far in Slavia Prague, Barcelona can’t afford to stumble regardless of the absences.
Here’s how Barcelona could line up against Salvia Prague on Wednesday night.
Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. Slavia Prague (4-2-3-1)
GK: Joan García—The summer signing was uncharacteristically clumsy in Sunday’s defeat and he’ll be eager to make amends in his fourth career Champions League start.
RB: Jules Koundé—Subject to harsh critics for his rather feeble defensive efforts vs. Real Sociedad, Koundé must wake up soon or his place in the XI could be in jeopardy.
CB: Pau Cubarsí—It hasn’t been the smoothest of seasons for the teenager, but he’ll aim to return to his 2024–25 version in the last game before his 19th birthday.
CB: Eric García—Flick insists on partnering Cubarsí with García in the heart of defense despite mounting evidence that the pair lacks physicality and speed. A poor defensive performance on Wednesday could force the German to scrap the pairing for good.
LB: João Cancelo—Alejandro Balde has failed to impress as of late and winter signing Cancelo could get the nod to make his first start under Flick, sending the La Masia left back to the bench.
DM: Frenkie de Jong—The Dutchman has been one of the biggest Barcelona bright spots to begin the year and he’ll keep his place in the lineup shielding Pedri.
CM: Pedri—Very lucky to have avoided a serious injury due to a brutal challenge from Carlos Soler at the weekend. Pedri claimed he’s good to go, and Flick can’t afford to leave him out of such a pivotal match.
RW: Roony Bardghji—Replacing the brilliance of Lamine Yamal is a near impossible task, but Bardghji seems to get better every time he steps on the field. The youngster will get the chance to continue his rapid ascent on Wednesday.
AM: Fermín López—López failed to register a goal involvement for the first time in 2026 against Sociedad and he’ll be motivated to add to his five Champions League goal contributions vs. Slavia Prague, operating as the attacking midfielder.
LW: Raphinha—The Brazilian missed the weekend clash for precautionary reasons, but with Yamal unavailable, his presence is desperately needed and he’ll become the focal point of the Blaugrana attack.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. Slavia Prague: No Yamal For Marquee European Clash.
