Raphinha and Pau Cubarsi will return to the Barcelona starting lineup against Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey semi-final second leg on Wednesday.
Barcelona will aim to reach the Copa del Rey final and set up a date with Real Madrid when they lock horns with Atletico Madrid at Estadio Metropolitano for the semi-final second leg on Wednesday night. Hansi Flick has greeted positive updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Andreas Christensen is closing in on returning to action, while Marc-Andre ter Stegen has resumed group training after recovering from a long-term knee injury. In addition, Raphinha and Pau Cubarsi are ready to start against Atletico Madrid.
So, Marc Bernal, Marc Casado, and Dani Olmo are the only players on the sidelines, although ter Stegen is not fit and available yet. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Flick provided a fitness update on Olmo, ter Stegen, and Cubarsi. The German tactician also confirmed Raphinha’s availability.
When discussing Olmo’s situation, the Barcelona manager said, “It’s always the same: we have to find the player who knows how to defend because you have to defend from the top, also in attack. We have several options and I trust all the players we have, so you know: we’ll see.”
“There are small differences: I won’t decide today. We haven’t trained very hard: we’ve talked a lot in the dressing room. We’ll decide tomorrow. The same as Raphinha. We have given him [Cubarsi] more time so he could recover, I think it was a good decision. He will be able to play tomorrow. He is ready.”
Responding to questions on ter Stegen’s progress, Flick said, “We will see: step by step. When he [ter Stegen] is better we will see what happens. Now is not the time to make a decision or say anything. We have to focus on today and we have time. The good news is that everything is going well with Marc and we are happy that he is at this stage. We’ll see what happens.”
Wojciech Szczesny will retain his spot between the sticks, with Barcelona lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday. The backline should feature Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, and Alejandro Balde, with Ronald Araujo and Gerard Martin dropping to the bench.
As for the midfield unit, Frenkie de Jong will likely pair up with Pedri in the double pivot, with Eric Garcia making way for the Dutchman. Gavi should reprise the no. 10 role, with Lamine Yamal and Raphinha being the two wide attackers. Finally, Robert Lewandowski will lead the line for the away side against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.
Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona Predicted XI
Predicted Barcelona XI: Szczesny; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Gavi, Raphinha; Lewandowski