In less than twelve hours, FC Barcelona will face their next challenge in their ongoing La Liga campaign. After defeating Athletic Club at the Montjuic Stadium, La Blaugrana will now take a trip over to Madrid. Over there, Hansi Flick’s Barcelona will look to take on a determined Rayo Vallecano side.
With two wins out of two games, Barça will not be looking to slow down and will want to continue their winning streak. To do that, however, Flick will likely field a strong eleven to take on the challenge of a Rayo side that has not let Barcelona taste victory at its home ground in their last three encounters there.
Here is how Barcelona could line up for the game.
Expected line-up:
Goalkeeper: Marc-Andre Ter Stegen
The German goalkeeper’s place in the starting eleven is simply taken for granted at this point. However, he will hope to finally get a clean sheet after losing out on two opportunities to do by conceding one goal in each game respectively.
Left-back: Alejandro Balde
With Hansi Flick in charge, Alejandro Balde could be experiencing some kind of resurgence right now. By making the most of his electric attributes and his ability to drive down the flank, Flick hopes to turn him into a great weapon for Barcelona.
Centre-back: Inigo Martinez
The most experienced player within the currently available backline, Inigo Martinez plays the role of a leader in the defense with young players around him. Moreover, his ball-playing could also come in handy in the game.
Centre-back: Pau Cubarsi
Speaking of ball-playing, there is simply no defender at Barça who does it better than Pau Cubarsi. His defensive contributions only add to his immense quality, and he will be needed against a side like Rayo.
Right-back: Jules Kounde
Having completely nullified Nico Williams last time out, Jules Kounde will hope to help Barcelona nullify any Rayo threats as well this time around. Already hailed by Lamine Yamal as one of the best, it seems well within Kounde’s abilities to prove it once more.
CDM: Marc Bernal
Despite his young age, Marc Bernal continues to exhibit signs of a very mature footballer. His understanding of the game, ability to control the tempo as per his wishes, and the way he distributes the ball has been a joy to watch so far.
CDM: Pedri
From his control to his movement, Pedri can make Barcelona play much better when he is on the pitch compared to them playing without him. His intelligence is crucial to this team, and Hansi Flick knows exactly just how much of a game-changer he is.
LAM: Ferran Torres
With Dani Olmo expected to be registered for this game, it could be a bit of a mix-up between him and Ferran Torres. However, it may be a bit more realistic that Olmo arrives into the match as a substitute whereas Ferran starts it off.
CAM: Raphinha
From start to finish in the last game, Raphinha did almost everything right. His energy, distribution, attacking threat, and even defensive workrate were all commendable and he has more than earned the right to start this game as well.
RAM: Lamine Yamal
An exceptional goal was scored by the young 17-year-old winger in the last game, and he will hope to have a big impact again. Rayo will certainly look to put pressure on him, but the young La Masia pearl has never let it get to him before.
Centre-forward: Robert Lewandowski
Finally seems to have found his shooting boots again, Robert Lewandowski is a man in great form with three goals in his last two games. Hopefully, he manages to keep scoring under the familiar mentorship of Hansi Flick.
