Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Gavi will return to the Barcelona starting lineup against Real Valladolid at Estadio Jose Zorrilla on Saturday.
Barcelona will aim to inch closer to winning the league title when they lock horns with Real Valladolid at Estadio Jose Zorrilla on Saturday evening. Hansi Flick has greeted a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen is ready to return to the starting lineup after completing his recovery from a long-term knee injury. In addition, Alejandro Balde and Robert Lewandowski are closing in on finishing their comebacks. However, Jules Kounde is the latest player on the sidelines after picking up a hamstring issue that will keep him on the sidelines for the next few weeks.
The French international has joined Marc Casado and Marc Bernal on the sidelines. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Flick confirmed Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s place in the starting lineup. In addition, the German tactician provided a fitness update on Balde, Casado, and Lewandowski.
The Barcelona manager said, “Yes, Marc will play tomorrow. We can finish the press conference now (laughs). I think it’s good for goalkeepers to have a little bit of minutes to recover. Marc is on a good way and his performance in training is fantastic. I’m not thinking about changing anything until the end of the season, but I might. That’s the way things are. For the moment, Marc will play tomorrow.”
“We have to wait and see how they develop day by day. They [Balde and Lewandowski] are on the right track but we have to wait. It’s the same as Casado, who did part of the training today. We can’t take any risks. Robert is developing very well and we’ll have to wait and see with Balde.”
Flick elaborated on Lewandowski’s recovery. The Barcelona boss said, “He could be back for the second leg. Robert is doing very well and his development is going much better than we expected. We’ll have to see. He is a great professional and always works hard to be 100 per cent. He might be back on Tuesday.”
With Lewandowski still unavailable, Ferran Torres will start as the central striker again. Ansu Fati may make a rare start on the flanks, joining Lamine Yamal and Torres in the final third. Fermin Lopez will likely reprise the no. 10 role, with Dani Olmo dropping to the bench. As for the midfield unit, Gavi will likely line up alongside Pedri in the double pivot, with Frenkie de Jong dropping to the bench.
Meanwhile, as Flick confirmed, Marc-Andre ter Stegen will return between the sticks, with Wojciech Szczesny dropping to the bench. The backline should see a few changes, with Eric Garcia and Ronald Araujo replacing Kounde and Inigo Martinez. The duo should join Pau Cubarsi and Gerard Martin in the defensive quartet.
Real Valladolid vs Barcelona Predicted XI
Predicted Barcelona XI: ter Stegen; Eric Garcia, Cubarsi, Araujo, Martin; Gavi, Pedri; Fati, Fermin Lopez, Yamal; Torres