Frenkie de Jong and Jules Kounde will return to the Barcelona starting lineup in the Champions League tie with Red Star Belgrade at the Red Star Stadium on Wednesday.
Barcelona will aim to continue the superb start to the 2024/25 season when they lock horns with Crvena Zvezda at the Red Star Stadium on Wednesday night. Hansi Flick has no new injury concerns that are hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen, Eric Garcia, Marc Bernal, and Ferran Torres remain on the sidelines. Otherwise, Flick does not have any new issues to worry about for the midweek UEFA Champions League fixture.
Meanwhile, Flick did not discuss team news updates during his pre-match press conference. However, the German tactician shed some light on the goalkeeping situation, with Wojciech Szczesny still waiting for his debut.
The Barcelona manager said, “Tek [Szczesny] has trained for two months with us and when I spoke to him you can see that he is an exceptional guy. He helps Inaki and the other youngsters. It’s ideal to have him in the team. When we need him he will be ready. Our aim was to have a player like him with experience, who can give us stability and help the other goalkeepers.”
Szczesny will continue to wait for his debut, with Inaki Pena retaining his spot between the sticks. The away side will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of Pena against Red Star Belgrade on Wednesday. The backline should see one change, with Jules Kounde replacing Hector Fort.
Kounde will join Pau Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, and Alejandro Balde in the Barcelona backline. As for the midfield unit, Flick should make one change, with Frenkie de Jong replacing Marc Casado as Pedri’s partner in the double pivot.
Dani Olmo will continue reprising the no. 10 role, with Lamine Yamal and Raphinha retaining their spots on the flanks. Finally, there is no looking past Robert Lewandowski as the central striker, with Fermin Lopez, Gavi, and Casado among the backup options on the bench.
Predicted Barcelona XI: Pena; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski
