Barcelona return to the Camp Nou on Sunday afternoon when they welcome Sevilla. Although aiming to keep pace in the La Liga summit, the team has one eye looking to what’s next.
In rather miraculous fashion, Barcelona escaped St James’ Park midweek with a 1–1 draw against Newcastle United in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16. Hansi Flick’s side was outplayed for the vast majority of the match, and the physical condition of his evidently tired players was an alarming sight.
With the second leg taking place on Wednesday night, Flick could be tempted into making heavy rotations for Sunday’s clash against a side that’s won two of their last 12. Still, Sevilla pummeled Barcelona in the reverse fixture, and the Catalans can ill afford dropping points this time around.
Time For Fringe Players to Contribute
Lamine Yamal missed Thursday’s training session because of an illness. Although there aren’t major concerns regarding his status, Flick could take him out of the XI to have him rested for Wednesday’s clash.
The same applies for Pedri and Marc Bernal, who both were completely out of gas at St James’ Park, resulting in the former leaving the pitch at the hour-mark and the latter needing to be substituted late with cramps.
Eric García missed the game midweek with a muscular overload and he isn’t expected to return until Wednesday’s second leg, joining Frenkie de Jong, Andreas Christensen, Jules Koundé and Alejandro Balde as the injury absentees against Sevilla. Gavi, however, has left the sidelines after being cleared for a long-awaited return.
With heavy rotations expected, fringe, rotational pieces will get a chance to impress on Sunday, including one player that could make his first professional start.
- ⚠️ Key injuries, absentees, doubts: Frenkie de Jong, Andreas Christensen, Jules Koundé, Alejandro Balde, Eric García.
- 🔢 Predicted formation: 4-2-3-1
Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. Sevilla (4-2-3-1)
GK: Joan García—The Spaniard will he targeting a fourth clean sheet in Barcelona’s last five home games.
RB: Xavi Espart—Thrown into the fire in the final minutes against Newcastle in front of a less-than-- friendly atmosphere was some time for the teenager to make his professional debut. Still, Espart kept his cool and made a couple of vital recoveries, earning a start against Sevilla.
CB: Pau Cubarsí—Barcelona’s defensive depth is largely nonexistent at this point of the season, so Cubarsí won’t be granted the chance of having a night off.
CB: Gerard Martín—After another mature and confident performance under the Champions League lights, the "Gerard Maldini” nickname will stick for the foreseeable future.
LB: João Cancelo—Cancelo has delivered consistently in recent weeks and although he looked at his best playing on the right behind Yamal, he’ll continue filling in at left back with Balde injured.
DM: Marc Casadó—It’s been a difficult season for Casadó, failing to rediscover the form that made him an undisputed starter during the infancy of the Flick era. He’ll get another chance to impress, allowing those ahead of him on the depth chart to rest.
DM: Dani Olmo—A magical drop of the shoulder from Olmo that caused a penalty was the only reason Barcelona left England with the upper-hand in the tie. He’ll start deeper in midfield this time, serving the Pedri role.
RW: Roony Bardghji—Opportunities have been hard to come by for Bardghji this season, but whenever he’s been given the chance to start, he’s more often than not shown glimpses of his undeniable potential.
AM: Raphinha—The Brazilian will drift centrally to play in the No. 10 role as he did late against Newcastle and on many other occasions earlier in the term. He’s in a bit of a funk now so a good performance on Sunday would do wonders for his confidence.
LW: Marcus Rashford—If Rashford wants to make Barcelona his permanent home, he must rediscover the form, intensity and effort that made him such a valuable asset earlier in the term. He’s been largely invisible in recent months.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Barcelona XI vs. Sevilla: Flick Forced Into Rotations—Injury News, Predicted Lineup.
