Barça's Lineup versus Leganes: Flick Introduces Two Notable Alterations by Flick
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick will bring about a significant shift in his midfield when the league leaders take on Leganes at Montjuic on Sunday.
The Blaugrana might have felt the heat, with Real Madrid being in a position to close the gap to just a point, had they managed to defeat Rayo Vallecano on Saturday. However, Rayo's valiant effort to hold Barcelona to a 3-3 draw ensured that the Catalans maintained their lead.
With a mammoth clash against Atletico Madrid looming six days later, Barcelona have the opportunity to extend their lead to four points with a win against Leganes.
Addressing the question of rotations to rest players for the Atletico Madrid clash at a pre-match press conference on Saturday, Flick stated, "Leganes is tomorrow, and we're not thinking about Atletico."
He further added, "You must decide with the same team, they have played together the last few games. We have players on the bench of great quality. It's good to do some rotations, but we haven't decided yet. There could be [some]."
Serving a two-match ban, Flick said, "I've told the team, it's up to us."
"We must play one hundred percent concentrated. All the rivals are looking for weaknesses, they will fight for points, but it will depend on us. We take the visit of Leganes with the utmost concentration," the German coach emphasized.
Two key changes for Leganes see Ronald Araujo and Gavi take their places in the starting lineup. Araujo replaces Pau Cubarsi, making his first appearance of the season after receiving the necessary medical clearance following Barcelona's midweek Champions League victory over Borussia Dortmund. Gavi, in turn, replaces Dani Olmo.
Araujo partners with Inigo Martinez in defense with Alejandro Balde and Jules Kounde providing cover on their respective flanks. Gavi and Marc Casado pair up in the midfield, allowing Pedri to move forward and line up alongside left winger Lamine Yamal and right winger Raphinha.
Robert Lewandowski, much like in Flick's favored 4-2-3-1 formation from his Bayern Munich days, continues as the lone striker.
Barcelona vs Leganes Starting XI: Inaki; Balde, Inigo, Araujo, Kounde; Casado, Gavi; Raphinha, Pedri, Lamine; Lewandowski.
Flick's decision to rest some players for the upcoming Atletico Madrid game led to the inclusion of Hansi Flick's former Bayern Munich player, Dani Olmo, being replaced by Gavi in the Barcelona lineup for the Leganes match. Despite serving a two-game ban, Flick stresses the importance of full concentration, as Ronald Araujo and Gavi are set to feature in the Leganes starting XI, with the latter replacing Olmo. Borussia Dortmund's midweek Champions League opponents, Barcelona, will face Leganes with Araujo making his first appearance of the season to partner with Inigo Martinez in defense.
