FC Barcelona are now looking to kick off their official campaign with their first La Liga clash. La Blaugrana will take on Valencia at the Mestalla as their league opener for the 2024/2025 season. However, while the game itself promises to be exciting, the goal for Barcelona remains to get all three points.
Last season did not go as well as the Catalan giants would have hoped, but they have a lot more belief in the squad to turn things around. Despite the top-level recruits that their direct rivals have brought in, Barcelona will look towards their objective with one matchday at a time.
Here is how Barcelona could line up against Valencia.
Expected line-up:
Goalkeeper: Marc-Andre Ter Stegen
The German goalkeeper will get to be the man who Hansi Flick trusts to keep the Barcelona goal safe against Valencia. While criticism towards the new first captain has not been slight, it appears that he maintains the full trust of the club’s coaching staff.
Left-back: Alejandro Balde
Without the speed and acceleration that Alejandro Balde provides on the left-flank, Barcelona would lack a lot of firepower. Fortunately, he is now back and fully ready to help his team exploit spaces in the opponent’s half whenever possible.
Centre-back: Inigo Martinez
Registered as quickly as Barcelona could, Inigo Martinez is the man that Hansi Flick wanted to make sure would be available for selection in this game. With Ronald Araujo still injured, the veteran Spanish defender becomes the perfect alternative for the Uruguayan sentinel.
Centre-back: Pau Cubarsi
Despite the fact that he still has not fully played a game following the Olympics, Pau Cubarsi could be the defensive solution for Barcelona that allows another player to slot right into the midfield to cover some other massive holes in the team.
Right-back: Jules Kounde
Now a reliable fullback with a lot of quality to offer, Jules Kounde has perfectly adapted to his new role. While he does not necessarily provide the most deadly offensive contributions, his balanced approach to things could be beneficial to Balde on the other flank.
CDM: Marc Casado
The lack of elite defensive midfield options has led to Hansi Flick entrusting various youngsters to get the job done. Marc Casado, formerly captain of Barcelona Atletic, is one of those players who has impressed the first team the most and he will likely get a chance against Valencia.
CDM: Andreas Christensen
With Ilkay Gundogan unavailable and other players being too young to experiment with, Andreas Christensen could be an option that Hansi Flick makes use of as his secondary defensive midfielder in his preferred 4-2-3-1.
LAM: Raphinha
It would appear that the right-wing will likely be the domain of Lamine Yamal, so it becomes a natural assumption that Raphinha will then start on the left flank. Fortunately for Barcelona, he has shown himself to be capable of performing from that position.
CAM: Pablo Torre
With Ilkay Gundogan unavailable for this game and Pedri expected to enter only in the second half, it could be safe to assume that Pablo Torre could be the player that Hansi Flick ends up trusting to start the game for Barcelona as their attacking midfielder.
RAM: Lamine Yamal
The prodigy of Barcelona will likely get to make the starting eleven for this game and a lot of hope will be resting on his shoulder to deliver. Despite his age, his record-breaking European Championship campaign has given fans of the club a lot to look forward to.
Centre-forward: Robert Lewandowski
A man who achieved his best form under Hansi Flick’s guidance during his time at Bayern Munich, Robert Lewandowski will be hoping to revive that same version of himself once again under the same mentor, but this time in different colors.
