Three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Girona | La Liga GW 29 | OneFootball

Barcelona won their game in hand against Osasuna earlier this week convincingly with Robert Lewandowski, Ferran Torres and Dani Olmo scoring in a 3-0 win.

They now play the game intended for this weekend despite there being barely any time between the two games and face a daunting opposition in Girona at Montjuic.

Michel’s side are not doing half as well as they were last season and are currently winless in their last six games in La Liga. However, there is little doubt in their capabilities on the days they step up and Barcelona must be wary.

Barça Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Girona.

Resting without risk

It is almost criminal that Barcelona take on Girona tomorrow less than 72 hours after their game against Osasuna midweek. Yet, that is the theme that will broadly be followed over the next month and rotations have never been more important.

Hansi Flick fielded a team without Raphinha and Ronald Araujo’s involvement against the Pamplona-based side. The former will certainly return to the lineup tomorrow but the manager will also look to maintain a low level of regular rotations to prevent player fatigue.

Finding the balance between regulars and substitutes, thus, will be the key to tomorrow’s game. After all, Barcelona play Atletico Madrid next midweek and will want all their best players rested and fit for that clash.

The likes of Eric Garcia, Pablo Torre and Fermin Lopez can thus expect minutes against Girona for it may be one of Flick’s last chances in the coming weeks to shuffle his cards.

Moreover, one can expect substitutions early in the second half should Barcelona have a comfortable enough lead over their local opponents.

A novel double-pivot?

Barcelona’s double pivot against Girona? (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Hansi Flick’s visionary idea to pair Frenkie de Jong and Pedri has worked wonders this season despite many believing the combination would never work and the duo have become Barcelona’s mainstay double-pivot.

The former, however, reportedly has a mild muscular setback and will likely be rested tomorrow keeping the upcoming Copa del Rey game in mind. Flick, thus, must find a new double-pivot for tomorrow.

With Marc Casado also ruled out until the end of the season, he will likely look to pair Pedri with Gavi despite him preferring to deploy the La Masia start higher up the field so far this season.

In fact, Flick even hinted at the possible chance in his pre-match press conference when he praised Gavi for his work and defensive ability.

“The best position for him is as a 6, but he has the quality to play in different positions. We want to mix it up. What we did in the last game against Osasuna was to try it out,” he said.

It will thus be interesting to see how Pedri and Gavi work together as a double-pivot, for it is not something they have excelled at together in the past. Eric Garcia also remains an option to start in the pivot position.

Defenders return

Barcelona faced an acute defensive crisis for the game against Osasuna earlier this week with Pau Cubarsi recovering from a knock, Ronald Araujo fatigued after a long flight from South America and Inigo Martinez freshly returning from an injury.

The Spanish veteran started the game alongside Eric Garcia and both players had barely any work to do against Osasuna who barely got a sniff of the ball.

Tomorrow, Flick will have all his defenders fully fit and well-rested and it will be interesting to see which combination he prefers to deploy against Michel’s men.

Martinez would usually be a bonafide starter, but given the hectic schedule, the lack of rest after the last game and the upcoming clash against Atletico Madrid, the manager may prefer to use Cubarsi and Araujo against Girona.

Should he prioritise the teenager’s fitness and start him on the bench again, he also has the option of playing Araujo and Garcia at the back although that would be a more risky combination from the offside trap point of view.

The defensive conundrum for Flick, nevertheless, is a positive one and the manager will not object to having too many resources to pick from in defence.

Concurrently, he can also consider providing Jules Kounde a rest at right-back and starting Hector Fort for the Frenchman has barely had any rest over the past year.