Barcelona's New Season Under Hansi Flick: Squad for Elche
A new Barcelona season starts on the road, and it starts under Hansi Flick.
The Blaugrana open their La Liga campaign away to Elche on Sunday, with the German coach naming a 23-man squad that blends fresh faces, academy talent and a couple of headline omissions.
Rodri in, Balde back, exits looming
The standout name is Rodri. The new signing receives his first call-up and is expected to make his debut off the bench in the second half, a first real glimpse of how Flick wants to reshape Barça’s midfield.
Alejandro Balde returns after missing the previous game amid uncertainty over his future. This time, he’s in. That alone shifts the dynamic on the left side, even if he doesn’t start.
On the flip side, Marc Casadó, Álvaro Cortés and Héctor Fort are left out of the travelling party as they move closer to finalizing their exits from the club. Flick’s squad lines are being drawn early.
Injury problems still bite in midfield. Gavi, Frenkie de Jong and Roony Bardghji all remain sidelined with knee injuries, stripping Barcelona of creativity, control and one of their most intriguing new attacking options before a ball has been kicked in the league.
Full 23-man squad for Elche
- Goalkeepers: Joan Garcia, Wojciech Szczesny, Eder Aller
- Defenders: João Cancelo, Alejandro Balde, Pau Cubarsí, Xavi Espart, Andreas Christensen, Gerard Martín, Jules Kounde, Eric Garcia
- Midfielders: Fermín López, Pedri, Rodri, Dani Olmo, Marc Bernal, Brian Fariñas
- Forwards: Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Karim Adeyemi, Anthony Gordon, Hamza Abdelkarim
It’s a group that screams competition for places. Experience in Christensen, Kounde and Cancelo. Youth and nerve in Cubarsí, Balde and Yamal. New attacking profiles in Adeyemi and Gordon.
How Flick is expected to line up
The early blueprint under Flick looks clear: a 4-3-3 with technical midfielders and wide forwards who can stretch the pitch.
Predicted XI (4-3-3): Joan; Eric, Cubarsí, Martín, Espart; Fermín, Bernal, Pedri; Yamal, Raphinha, Adeyemi
That setup leans heavily on Pedri as the brain, with Fermín López and Marc Bernal offering legs and aggression around him. At the back, youth is trusted again, with Cubarsí and Gerard Martín tipped to start in central defence and Xavi Espart at full-back.
Up front, it’s all about pace and directness. Lamine Yamal and Raphinha flanking Karim Adeyemi gives Barcelona three different types of threat, all capable of running in behind and attacking one-on-one. If that front line clicks early, Elche will be chasing shadows.
All eyes on the first whistle
Kick-off is set for 9pm CET in Barcelona (8pm BST/WAT, 3pm ET, 12pm PT, 12.30am IST). A new coach, a reshaped squad, and a first look at Rodri in Barça colours.
For Flick and Barcelona, the talking stops in Elche. Now we find out what this new version really looks like when the season finally starts to count.
