Frenkie de Jong will return to the Barcelona starting lineup when they take on Real Betis at the Benito Villamarin Stadium on Saturday.
Barcelona will be eager to consolidate the top spot in La Liga when they lock horns with Real Betis at the Benito Villamarin Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Hansi Flick has received a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Dani Olmo is the latest absentee after picking up a shoulder injury earlier this week against Atletico Madrid. The Spaniard will be in the treatment room for around a month. Olmo accompanies Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Gavi in the treatment room. Meanwhile, Ronald Araujo has taken an indefinite break from football because of mental health issues.
However, Fermin Lopez will be fit and available to take on Real Betis this weekend, although it is unclear if he can feature from the get-go. Additionally, Frenkie de Jong will return after recovering from an illness. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Flick provided fitness updates on Fermin Lopez, Olmo, de Jong, and Gavi.
The Barcelona manager said, “Fermin can play, I’m not sure about the starting lineup, but I’m happy to have him back. Dani is a good player, these things happen, we’ll have to manage it. I don’t know about the starting lineup, but he [de Jong] could play tomorrow.”
“He [Gavi] is fine. On Tuesday, he celebrated the win with everyone. He’s doing well, and I’m sure he’ll come back stronger than before.”
During his presser, Flick also praised Gerard Martin, who has excelled as a makeshift centre-back in the last few games. The Barcelona boss said, “H’’s playing very well, focused, disciplined in defence and attack. He does everything very well, and that’s what we expect from him. That’s why he’s playing.”
Joan Garcia is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Barcelona lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Real Betis on Saturday. The backline will feature Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin, and Alejandro Balde.
As for the midfield unit, Frenkie de Jong will line up alongside Eric Garcia in the double pivot, with Pedri reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Robert Lewandowski will lead the line for the away side against Real Betis, with Lamine Yamal and Raphinha being the two wide attackers. So, Marcus Rashford and Ferran Torres will be the backup options on the bench.
Predicted Barcelona XI: Joan Garcia; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martin, Balde; de Jong, Eric Garcia; Yamal, Pedri, Raphinha; Lewandowski