Flick ready for Barcelona gamble in the derby

Hansi Flick is preparing for the derby with rotations. Without giving too much away, he already hinted in the pregame news conference ahead of the Espanyol game that Gavi has a strong chance of starting, and that while he expects Lamine Yamal to be in the lineup, he is very unlikely to finish the game. Nor can it be ruled out that he starts on the bench, where Frenkie de Jong – now recovered from injury – is expected to be again.

Barcelona’s coach will manage minutes without sacrificing competitiveness. He made that very clear in his media appearance. The team he puts out against Espanyol will still be strong. The cushion over Real Madrid in La Liga is big enough for Flick to have mapped out a plan with Tuesday’s “final” in mind – the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinal against Atlético.

Barcelona is forced to overturn the 2-0 defeat at Spotify Camp Nou, and it will need its best players with the freshest legs possible because at the Metropolitano they will have to empty the tank in pursuit of a comeback that would border on a miracle. Players such as João Cancelo, Eric García, Dani Olmo, Fermín, Marcus Rashford and Robert Lewandowski are all strong candidates to be rested, with less regular options such as Alejandro Balde, Gavi, Ferran Torres and Marc Casadó likely to come in.

Against Espanyol, Barcelona’s depth will have to step up and show it is ready to start in a game Espanyol will do everything possible to make difficult. Balde, now past his injury, needs minutes to get back into rhythm, but his pace and attacking thrust can do real damage down the left. Gavi showed in the second half against Atlético that he is fully ready to start; Casadó, despite not playing a major role under Flick, always brings order and balance; and Ferran Torres badly needs goals to rebuild his confidence. For the usual backups, the derby will also serve as a test.

Flick is prioritizing, and he is not hiding it. He was crystal clear about that in the news conference. The derby matters, but the Champions League comes first. “We have to do our job in La Liga, but the most important thing is to win the Champions League; that is the goal of the players and the club, and it is why we are here,” he said. He added: “You can see that the team is a little more motivated in the Champions League, and it is the competition we want to win.”

Flick does not want his team arriving short on energy for Tuesday’s battle. He would rather take a measured risk now in order to go all in on the comeback attempt. Inside the locker room, senior voices have acknowledged that they are not giving up on the tie. They admit it will be very difficult – Flick himself said it would be hard to score two goals against Atlético after the league win – but they are not treating it as an impossible mission.

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