Barcelona will lock horns with Athletic Bilbao at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium this Wednesday night as they look to earn a good result in the Spanish Super Cup semi-final contest. The Catalan club earned a solid 2-0 win over Espanyol recently, so they would be full of confidence going into this game.
Hansi Flick will set his side up in a 4-2-3-1 formation and is expected to make one change to his starting XI for this clash. Pedri could get a chance to impress from the start of this game, while Marcus Rashford makes way for him and drops to the bench.
4-2-3-1 Barcelona Predicted Lineup To Face Athletic Bilbao
Defence
Joan Garcia will function in goal for the Catalan club after keeping a clean sheet in his last appearance. Gerard Martin will once again feature alongside Pau Cubarsi at the heart of Flick’s defence as they hope to maintain a good shape on the defensive third of the field.
Jules Kounde will try to catch the eye as the right-back, while Alejandro Balde looks to prove their worth on the other side as the left-back. Both of them will get the freedom to go forward and join in on the attack at every chance they can get.
Jofre Torrents will provide cover for the defensive positions on the Barcelona bench.
Midfield
Frenkie de Jong will anchor the midfield with Eric Garcia as they look to establish their dominance over the opposition at the centre of the park.
The talented trio of Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Raphinha will operate just ahead of them as part of the Barcelona attack. All three of them will have to combine well if they are to create some decent chances in and around the Bilbao penalty area.
Marcus Rashford, Marc Casado and Fermin Lopez will have to be content with a place on the bench and might come on to influence the game in the second 45 minutes if needed.
Attack
Ferran Torres will lead the charge for the Catalan giants in the final third. He has to find a way to be a constant menace up top.
Robert Lewandowski will be available for selection on the bench as he waits for his chance to make an impact in the final quarter of the game if required.
