FC Barcelona are set to take on Serbian side Red Star Belgrade away from home in the UEFA Champions League soon. The Catalan giants, currently in fine form and feeling invincible, will be looking to add yet another victory under their belt. However, Barcelona will need to be cautious as every single game in this new Champions League format is a must-win.
So far, they have managed to dismantle the likes of Bayern Munich and BSC Young Boys, but an unfortunate loss to Monaco early on makes it absolutely necessary for the Catalan giants to aim for victory this time around in Serbia. To ensure that, it was expected that Hansi Flick would be fielding a strong eleven.
Ultimately, that has turned out to be exactly the case as the official starting lineup has now been confirmed.
In goal, as expected, Inaki Pena retains his place following a couple of impressive performances against some tough opponents. The Spaniard, yet again, will need to stay alert as the Catalan giants will be hoping to keep a clean sheet against their Serbian opponents.
The two defenders in front of him will be Pau Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez, as the Spanish duo will look to continue their excellent form as the two guardians of the Barcelona goal. Coupled with their almost flawless execution of the offside trap, the two have formed a special kind of partnership.
On either flank, Jules Kounde and Gerard Martin start for Barcelona. After being rested in the previous game, the Frenchman is back in action for this outing and Hansi Flick will be more than happy to accommodate him in this UEFA Champions League clash.
Over in the midfield, both Marc Casado and Frenkie de Jong are set to start as well. The Dutchman, as reports suggested that he would, is handed his first start of the season after showing glimpses of his quality in recent cameos. The pair will be looking to provide a good balance in terms of helping both the attack and the Barcelona defense in keeping the game under control.
Right in front of them, a dynamic trio of Lamine Yamal, Pedri, and Raphinha will be starting the game. Their intensity and work rate, coupled with their undoubtable technical quality, will be a great asset for Barcelona as they will be looking to try to score some goals.
Up front, Robert Lewandowski will be the man who will be tasked with scoring the goals and being the focal point of the Barcelona attack. With the Polish ace having failed to find the net against Espanyol in the last game, he will surely be hungrier than ever for some better luck this time around.