Hansi Flick can drop one of his regular Barcelona starters tonight to ensure his availability in the next UCL round | OneFootball

FC Barcelona are set to play once again in the UEFA Champions League tonight as they face Borussia Dortmund in the second leg of the quarter-final tie at Signal Iduna Park.

The Catalans have a 4-goal advantage on aggregate, and thus, Hansi Flick will have some flexibility in choosing his starting lineup for this game, especially considering the very hectic schedule the Blaugranes are facing in this final stretch of the season.

In addition to resting his players for rest, another strategic reason can push him to keep one of his fixed starters out of the starting lineup for this game.

This starter is the centre-back Inigo Martinez, as Mundo Deportivo reports that he is only one yellow card away from getting a suspension, which will mean him missing the first leg of the semi-final tie if Barcelona get through.

If the defender does not get a yellow card in tonight’s game, he will have a clean slate in the next round, as yellow card accumulation is reset at the semi-final stage. Thus, keeping him on the bench to avoid losing him in a potential tie against Bayern Munich or Inter Milan will be a strong consideration for the German coach.

If Flick decides to keep Martinez out of this game, Jules Kounde and Pau Cubarsi will be the only two regular starting defenders starting this game tonight. Alejandro Balde is out with an injury and Gerard Martin will take his place in the lineup.

On the other hand, Martinez’s replacement is harder to guess. Flick will have several options, including Ronald Araujo, Eric Garcia, and Andreas Christensen, and can also ultimately decide to field the Basque defender from the very start.

Among these options, Araujo seems to be the best suited for the game against Dortmund, as his physical prowess will allow him to keep Serhou Guirassy in control. Eric Garcia, on the other hand, will provide more control, while it is unlikely that Flick will start Christensen in such an intense game following his recent recovery from a long-term injury.