Barcelona will be eager to return to winning ways when they welcome Girona to Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Saturday afternoon. Hansi Flick has received a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Lamine Yamal (pubic) and Fermin Lopez (muscular) are fit and available after recovering from their issues. However, Ferran Torres and Robert Lewandowski are the latest absentees. The former is unavailable due to a hamstring strain, while the latter picked up a similar problem during the international break.
The duo’s absence has deepened the injury crisis, as they have joined Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Joan Garcia, Gavi, Dani Olmo, and Raphinha in the treatment room. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Flick provided fitness updates on Yamal, Fermin Lopez, Torres, Raphinha, and Lewandowski.
The Barcelona manager said, “It’s something I can’t change [Torres and Lewandowski being unavailable]. We have to find solutions. We have to find players who can start, who can play 90 minutes. Lamine and Fermin are back, but we have to manage them. I know that at our best, we can beat anyone. The most important thing for me is to fight from the start and play our best football.”
“Robert told me that after the first half, he played with a bandage and said everything was fine. These things aren’t easy for players. Obviously, these situations hurt us. For example, in Raphinha’s case, I know why he is like this. Travelling ends up taking its toll. Raphinha is one of the most important players we have. We miss him, but it won’t be long before we see him again.”
Elaborating on Lewandowski and Raphinha, the Barcelona boss said, “I would have to think about it, but I don’t think there is any player who takes such good care of his body as Robert. I spoke to him and he told me he didn’t think it was an injury. He is always very responsible with his health and his body. No one, except perhaps Cristiano, takes such good care of themselves as he does. We hope he [Raphinha] will be available [for El Clasico].”
Wojciech Szczesny will retain his spot between the sticks, with the home side lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Girona on Saturday. The backline will feature Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Eric Garcia, and Alejandro Balde.
As for the midfield unit, Andreas Christensen will likely line up as a makeshift holding midfielder alongside Frenkie de Jong, allowing Pedri to reprise the no. 10 role. Finally, Marcus Rashford will lead the line for the home side against Girona, with Lamine Yamal and Roony Bardghji being the two wide attackers. Fermin Lopez will likely replace Yamal in the second half, with Dro Fernandez also in line for some game time.
Predicted Barcelona XI: Szczesny; Kounde, Eric Garcia, Cubarsi, Balde; Christensen, de Jong; Yamal, Pedri, Bardghji; Rashford
