LaLiga
Possible Barcelona XI lineup for Real Sociedad clash
Cubarsi is expected to be in the starting eleven with Dani Olmo possibly linking up with Raphinha and Lewandowski in attack.
Hansi Flick learned his lesson at El Sadar, where he tinkered too much with his side which lead to the Catalan side tasting defeat in LaLiga this season for the first and only time.
The German coach now adopts a far more cautious approach when it comes to squad rotation, changing at most, two members of the personnel per game. The Barça manager is expected to do the same for Sunday’s away game against Real Sociedad with the German hinting that Lamine Yamal is due a rest with the teenager missing out on first team training on Saturday.
Pau Cubarsí is expected to start despite having nine stitches in a cut sustained in Belgrade and Dani Olmo may start despite the player also missing out on Saturday’s training session due to gastroenteritis.
Despite the minor tweaks, Flick will field a very competitive team at the Real Arena with Iñaki Peña to remain between the posts, and despite conceding two goals in Belgrade, the young keeper still has the full confidence of the German coach.
Few changes are expected at the back especially if Cubarsí‘s availability is confirmed but early signs point to Alejandro Balde returning to the left flank after being substituted in the Champions League with both Íñigo Martínez and Jules Koundé are fixed in the starting eleven.
In midfield, Pedri and Marc Casadó will start, with the possibility of Fermín returning to the starting line-up, although Frenkie de Jong cannot be ruled out either.
In attack, there are also two immovable names at the moment: Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha, who are also the team’s top scorers, with 19 and 12 goals, respectively. The third attacking force could be Dani Olmo, assuming he recovers from the stomach bug with Ansu Fati a potential replacement for the former Leipzig player.