A special match awaits a struggling Barcelona forward

BARCELONA, SPAIN - AUGUST 12: Ansu Fati of FC Barcelona looks on prior to the Joan Gamper Trophy match between FC Barcelona and AS Monaco at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on August 12, 2024 in Barcelona, Spain.

Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images

There are only a few days left till this international break ends, and club football returns. FC Barcelona fans will be particularly looking forward to this return to club football as their team has some very exciting matches scheduled for them right after the end of the break, including games against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

The Catalans will return to La Liga with a match against Sevilla this Sunday. Flick will be looking to rest some of his starters, like Raphinha, in this game, keeping in view their participation with their respective national teams and the upcoming difficult games.

Similarly, Lewandowski and Yamal suffered some discomfort as they played with their national teams, while Ferran Torres is also out for a significant time. In such a scenario, the forward Ansu Fati can get his first start of the season in this game.

As SPORT has noted, this match can be a special occasion for the La Masia graduate, as Sevilla is one of the teams that has shown interest in the struggling Barcelona forward for quite some time.

They were interested in him last year, when he decided to join Brighton and Hove Albion on loan, and are once again touted to be suitors for him as reports emerge about his potential departure in January.

Similarly, this could be Fati’s first start for Barcelona since May 2023, when he started the game against Mallorca at the Camp Nou, and scored two goals. Repeating such a performance will be key for the Fati to recover his confidence and morale.

Meanwhile, the fans are also expecting Fati to showcase his talents once again on the pitch. He received a warm applause from the fans when he stepped on the pitch in the game against Young Boys.

His performance in the match against Alaves, in which he got two good chances to score, has also raised the hopes of these fans. Hopefully, he will be able to take full advantage of the opportunity that Flick is expected to hand him against Sevilla.