In a few minutes, FC Barcelona manager Hansi Flick will announce the starting XI that will take the field to face local rivals RCD Espanyol in the Catalan derby.
With kickoff at the RCDE Stadium not far away, Marta Ramon of RAC1 has come forward with a scoop regarding the lineup that the Blaugrana will be fielding tonight.
No Pedri in the lineup
As per the report, Barcelona midfield superstar Pedri will not be a part of the starting lineup to face Espanyol today.
The 23-year-old midfielder had missed the Catalans’ last game of 2025 against Villarreal due to mild discomfort.
However, he has recovered completely from the issue and trained throughout the week and was named in the squad list, along with Dani Olmo.
Pedri, Ronald Araujo, Barcelona players
On the bench tonight. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
Given his readiness, it was widely expected that Pedri would walk right back into the starting lineup for the derby tonight.
But, as per the update, that is not going to happen, with Pedri likely to be left out on the bench by Flick. The idea is for the midfielder to play only around 30-40 minutes in the second half as a substitute.
Having Pedri feature from the get-go in the derby would have been a huge boost for Barcelona. But Flick seemingly does not wish to take any risks with his ace midfielder, even more so given that the Spanish Super Cup is just around the corner.
It would then suggest that the manager is likely to go into the match with the starting midfield pair of Frenkie de Jong and Eric Garcia, who started in the Villarreal encounter.