Barcelona update: Changes for Valencia, uncertainty over position and Hansi Flick’s three concerns | OneFootball

Barcelona will be back in action on Sunday night against Valencia, with their fans eagerly waiting to see the reaction following a concering performance against Rayo Vallecano. A number of changes are on the horizon for the Blaugrana’s first home game of the season.

It will not be at Camp Nou though, as Barcelona finally confirmed on Tuesday that they would be playing the match at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, unable to complete work on Camp Nou on time. It will reduce Barcelona’s home advantage, with just a 6,000 capacity.

Rotations on the horizon for Barcelona

Since the Rayo draw, a meniscus injury has been diagnosed for Gavi which will keep him out for the time being, and Frenkie de Jong has returned with an injury from international duty. Although Marc Bernal is again fit, he will be eased back into action, and Marc Casado looks set to start alongside Pedri, as per Sport.

Image via El Nacional

Left-back Alejandro Balde has also gone down injured, opening up a spot for Gerard Martin to come in. Up front, Robert Lewandowski could make his first start of the season, having fully recovered from his injury, and Raphinha’s condition will be examined, after making the long trip back from Bolivia and Brazil duty – that could open up the left side for Marcus Rashford.

Hansi Flick’s three concerns over the international break

The same outlet say that Flick had three main concerns over the international break. One of them is the physical toll taken on the international players, another is the condition of Ronald Araujo, who in theory would have been a starter against Valencia, but is likely to do so for Uruguay on Tuesday night against Chile. The third is the potential issues with focus and intensity after the break, with particular focus on the latter, a point of criticism in Vallecas.

The elusive number 10 position

Flick must also decide on who to start in the number 10 role behind the striker. In the first game, Fermin Lopez began against RCD Mallorca, but was taken off at the break. Against Levante, Flick experimented with Raphinha there, but that was scrapped with the Blaugrana 2-0 down at half-time. The last game before the break saw Dani Olmo retain his starting spot from last season, but he failed to impress too, leaving Flick with a conundrum.