How will Barcelona line up against Girona?

"Barça will finally have some relief in the schedule as they won't have any midweek commitments for the next two weeks, so we think Flick will go with a strong team in this one to make sure of the points and then give some extra rest to his troops. Every single player at the back struggled in the defeat to Atlético Madrid and it's easy to call for an entire change to the defense,"

"but we actually think the coach will give his favorite backline combination of Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsí, Eric Garcia and Alejandro Balde a show of trust and start them again in this one. Barça's midfield also struggled in Madrid and Frenkie de Jong had a rare off-night, but the Dutchman remains the team's best hope for control and dominance in the middle of the park."

"We think he'll start alongside Marc Bernal in this one, with Fermín López starting in the number 10 spot and Dani Olmo going to the bench. Raphinha is expected to return to the squad but probably won't be fit to play all 90 minutes, so we think Flick will save the Brazilian for the second half in this one and start Ferran Torres on the left, with Robert Lewandowski leading the line and Lamine Yamal starting on the right."

Barcelona travel to Girona in La Liga aiming to bounce back after a painful Cup defeat. The team faces no midweek commitments for two weeks, allowing a strong starting XI with extra rest for substitutes later. Hansi Flick is expected to retain the back four of Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsí, Eric Garcia and Alejandro Balde despite recent defensive struggles. Frenkie de Jong projects to partner Marc Bernal in midfield with Fermín López at number 10 and Dani Olmo on the bench. Raphinha may return but is likely to be used from the bench, with Lewandowski leading the line.

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