Frenkie de Jong and Dani Olmo will return to the Barcelona starting lineup against Espanyol on Sunday, while Wojciech Szczesny continues to wait for his debut.
Barcelona will aim to continue the excellent start to the 2024/25 season when they welcome Espanyol to Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Sunday afternoon. And Hansi Flick does not have any new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Marc Bernal are long-term absentees, with the duo done for the 2024/25 season. Andreas Christensen, Ronald Araujo, and Ferran Torres are the other absentees, with the trio likely to return within the coming month.
Meanwhile, Eric Garcia remains on the sidelines due to a knock, and he will not return before the international break. Flick provided a fitness update on Garcia and discussed Araujo’s recovery during his pre-match press conference. The German tactician also spoke about Ansu Fati and Frenkie de Jong.
The Barcelona manager said, “I think he [Garcia] will return after the international break. We had to decide that he would train separately from the group. We are not putting pressure on him [Araujo] to return, he is doing well, and recovering well, but we do not have to put pressure on him. It was a serious injury and we have to take care of him. He is training hard.”
Flick said on Fati and de Jong, “I value very positively what I see with Frenkie. The second half against Madrid brought tranquillity. He is a wonderful player for the team. The injury has been long and we will see how he adapts. It’s very positive that he’s back. You can say that I’m happy, he [Fati] is 100%, but I don’t know yet if he’ll be a starter.”
Frenkie de Jong should return to the Barcelona starting lineup against Espanyol, lining up alongside Pedri in the double pivot in the middle of the park. Dani Olmo will reprise the no. 10 role, with Raphinha and Lamine Yamal continuing as the wide attackers. Meanwhile, there is no looking past Robert Lewandowski as the central striker.
The backline should not see any changes, with Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, and Alejandro Balde retaining their spots. Finally, Inaki Pena will continue between the sticks, with Wojciech Szczesny still waiting for his debut.
Predicted Barcelona XI: Pena; Kounde, Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski
