In a little over six hours, FC Barcelona will step onto the field at Estadio de Vallecas in search of their third win in three La Liga games in 2024/25 as they take on Rayo Vallecano.
Despite all the noise surrounding their lack of transfer activity and registration issues, Barcelona have made a 100% start to the season, winning two in two against Valencia and Athletic Club – both by the same 2-1 scoreline.
Heading into tonight’s clash against Rayo, Hansi Flick & co. will be hoping to make it three wins on the bounce and continue to build an early lead in the league.
The fact that they can now count on new signing Dani Olmo, who has finally been registered in La Liga, comes as a huge boost for Barcelona.
However, they did lose another defender, Eric Garcia, to an injury, with the Spaniard now joining Andreas Christensen, Ansu Fati, Ronald Araujo, Frenkie de Jong, and Gavi on the sidelines.
Considering the quick turnaround between matches, Flick is expected to make a few rotations to his starting XI tonight. And here’s how Barcelona could line up against Rayo Vallecano in search of their third win of the season.
Starters
While rotations are likely to take place, no changes are expected in defence owing to the lack of options, especially in the centre-back department.
As such, 17-year-old Pau Cubarsi will start his third game in a row alongside veteran defender Inigo Martinez at the heart of Barcelona’s backline. They will be tasked with guarding captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen in goal.
Meanwhile, Jules Koundewho put in a fine display against Athletic Club over the weekend, ought to continue at right-back while Alexander Balde starts at left-back again.
The midfield department is where a couple of changes might occur as Flick might opt to rest young Marc Bernal, who has started the first two La Liga games. In his place, fellow The Farmhouse midfielder Marc Casado should get the nod as one of the two pivots.
Pedriwhose presence elevates this Barcelona team to a different level, will be the second pivot in Flick’s starting XI, although he will take up higher positions on the pitch.
Meanwhile, Fermin Lopez should make his first start under Flick after having had a successful summer during which he won the UEFA Euro 2024 and the Olympics gold medal with Spain.
The The Farmhouse graduate would likely slot in as the No. 10 in the team, allowing Raphinha to move to a more natural position on the left flank, at the expense of Ferran Torres.
Lamine Yamalwho scored his first goal of the season last weekend, will keep his place on the right wing while Robert Lewandowski is bound to continue as the lone centre-forward.
Substitutes
After all the wait, Dani Olmo will finally make his debut for Barcelona tonight most likely coming off the bench in the second period. Given his versatile nature, it will be interesting to see where manager Hansi Flick opts to use him.
Meanwhile, there are likely to be minutes for Marc Bernal off the bench while Gerard Martin could also get in on some action at Estadio de Vallecas. Paul Victor and Ferran Torres are options for Flick if he needs to bolster the attack.