Up next for FC Barcelona is a massive fixture in La Liga in which they cannot afford to drop any points. Set to face Rayo Vallecano at the Montjuic Stadium, Hansi Flick’s men have everything they need to succeed. However, whether or not the Barcelona players perform to the best of their abilities is up to them.
The reason why this particular game is such an important clash is because it is a golden opportunity for Flick’s side to take back top spot in La Liga again. Following the recent stalemates for both Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, Barça can now ensure victory and take back first place in the league.
To do that, however, Barcelona will likely field a strong starting eleven due to the fact that they have a decent enough gap between this upcoming game against Rayo and the next one against UD Las Palmas. Moreover, a new report suggests that a certain Spaniard could be returning to the starting line-up as well.
According to SPORT, it is now Dani Olmo’s turn to return to the starting eleven in La Liga again. His last start in the Spanish First Division was back in December against Leganes. Since then, primarily due to managing his minutes in light of his injury concerns, Hansi Flick has been quite careful when it comes to his participation.
Playing only 26 minutes against Valencia in the Copa del Rey and 19 against Sevilla in La Liga, Olmo’s participation has been quite limited since his return from his injury. Moreover, with a lot of controversy and noise over his registration previously, there was more than just one issue to address.
Now, however, the player is already back in training with his full intensity and is keeping up with the rest of his teammates. Thus, Hansi Flick wants to ensure that the €60 million-rated Spanish star is fully prepared for the decisive stretch of the season and can help the team as a regular starter.
Interestingly, Rayo Vallecano is a rather memorable opponent for the La Masia product. Following his arrival in the summer transfer window, it was the first opponent he faced in La Liga following his registration and his game-winning performance in that outing solidified exactly the kind of firepower that Barcelona had acquired by bringing him in.
