"The absence of Lewandowski clears the way for Ferran Torres to start as the only available centre-forward. However, it is not ruled out that Flick opts for Dani Olmo as a false nine in a bid to surprise. There is a precedent, precisely in last season's Copa del Rey, although in a single-leg Round of 16 tie, and it worked well: a 5-1 win over Real Betis with two assists from the Spanish international."
"This could be Flick's solution to allow Pedri, a certain starter, Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez, Raphinha and Olmo to all feature in the starting eleven, with Marc Bernal as defensive midfielder. Meanwhile, in defence, there could be a notable change, with Joao Cancelo in line to start at left-back ahead of Alejandro Balde."
"Barça will have to do so without the suspended Eric Garcia, sent off in the first leg of the semi-final, and without the injured Frenkie de Jong, Andreas Christensen, Gavi, and Robert Lewandowski, the latest to be ruled out due to an eye socket injury."
Barcelona must overcome a significant 4-0 first-leg deficit against Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey semi-final with limited preparation time and multiple key absences. Eric Garcia is suspended while Frenkie de Jong, Andreas Christensen, Gavi, and Robert Lewandowski are injured. Manager Hansi Flick may employ tactical innovations to compensate, potentially deploying Dani Olmo as a false-nine instead of Ferran Torres, a formation that succeeded previously against Real Betis. Defensively, Joao Cancelo could start at left-back ahead of Alejandro Balde to provide attacking support and defensive coverage against Atletico's threats.
Read at Barca Universal
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