Ronald Araujo and Marcus Rashford will return to the Barcelona starting lineup when they face Racing Santander at Estadio El Sardinero on Thursday.
Barcelona will aim to secure a spot in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals when they lock horns with Racing Santander in the round of 16 clash at Estadio El Sardinero on Thursday night. Hansi Flick has a new issue to worry about ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Frenkie de Jong will serve a suspension after being sent off late in the Spanish Super Cup final against Real Madrid this past weekend. Andreas Christensen and Gavi are the only other absentees due to their knee injuries. Otherwise, the visitors have a full-strength squad for the cup clash with Racing Santander, with Joao Cancelo adding to Flick’s options.
Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Flick discussed Cancelo’s possible involvement against Racing Santander in the midweek cup fixture. Additionally, the German tactician provided an update on Ronald Araujo.
The Barcelona manager said, “The idea is for him [Cancelo] to get some minutes. We had to decide what we wanted. We’re well covered at centre-back with Gerard Martin, Eric and Cubarsi, and with Araujo back as well. Cancelo is a fantastic player, very professional and very strong going forward.”
“We need players with quality when opponents sit deep in the final third, and he’s a good option for that. He has quality in attack, something we also need. I think he’s set to play a few minutes. We’ll see [who starts] tomorrow. We’ll decide. We have to take care of him [Araujo]. We’ll decide tomorrow.”
Marc-Andre ter Stegen will return between the sticks, with Barcelona lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Racing Santander on Thursday. The backline will feature Eric Garcia, Ronald Araujo, Gerard Martin, and Alejandro Balde. So, Joao Cancelo will be a backup option on the bench.
As for the midfield unit, Marc Casado will pair up with Pedri in the double pivot, with Dani Olmo reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Ferran Torres will lead the line for the away side against Racing Santander, with Roony Bardghji and Marcus Rashford being the two wide attackers. So, the first-choice attackers will be options on the bench.
Predicted Barcelona XI: ter Stegen; Garcia, Araujo, Martin, Balde; Casado, Pedri; Bardghji, Olmo, Rashford; Ferran Torres
