Barcelona will aim to continue the recent unbeaten run when they welcome Villarreal to Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Sunday evening. The match will be the final outing at Montjuic for the Blaugrana. Meanwhile, Hansi Flick has greeted a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Inigo Martinez is available after serving a suspension earlier this week against RCD Espanyol. However, Flick is sweating over Ronald Araujo’s fitness, with the Uruguayan international recovering from a minor muscle injury.
In addition, Jules Kounde, Marc Bernal, and Pablo Torre remain on the sidelines. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Flick discussed possible plans to rotate his troops this weekend. The German tactician also provided a fitness update on Andreas Christensen after the Danish defender’s outing against Espanyol.
The Barcelona manager said, “We have to make some changes. We will wait until tomorrow. There was the celebration. Some people celebrated yesterday night as well. If they can party, they can play. There are no excuses. We’ve talked about it [playing youngsters], but we haven’t decided yet. It is an option. We have to wait until tomorrow to decide.”
Meanwhile, Flick suggested Christensen came through unscathed against Espanyol. The German tactician said, “He is doing well. He showed it in the games. He’s improved a lot and he’s not at his best yet. He’s on the way.”
Wojciech Szczesny should retain his spot between the sticks, although Marc-Andre ter Stegen will hope for some game time. Barcelona will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of Szczesny against Villarreal on Sunday, with the backline featuring Eric Garcia, Pau Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, and Alejandro Balde.
As for the midfield unit, Pedri and Frenkie de Jong will pair up in the double pivot, with Fermin Lopez reprising the no. 10 role. So, Gavi and Dani Olmo will be backup options on the bench. Finally, Robert Lewandowski will lead the line for the home side against Villarreal, with Raphinha and Lamine Yamal being the two wide attackers.
Predicted Barcelona XI: Szczesny; Eric Garcia, Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, Balde; de Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Fermin, Raphinha; Lewandowski
