Hansi Flick spoke about his team selection ahead of kick off at the Camp Nou on Saturday for Barcelona’s clash with Athletic Club in La Liga.
The Barcelona boss is without some key players for the game due to injury and suspension, including Pedri, Frenkie de Jong and Marcus Rashford, and has been forced into changes.
Gerard Martin has come into the starting XI, and will partner Pau Cubarsi in central defence, with Eric Garcia pushed into midfield.
Flick told DAZN why Martin was given the nod over Ronald Araujo for the match.
“Gerard Martín has been training with us for the two weeks of the break and we wanted to give him a try. Plus, Araujo was coming off a very long trip,” he said. Araujo is just back from international duty with Uruguay and a big defeat to the USMNT.
Elsewhere, Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres feature up front, with Raphinha back from injury and on the bench.
Flick says the Brazilian should get some minutes at Camp Nou: “He’s a very important player for us. He showed us that last season, but we have to manage him carefully. Perhaps he’ll be able to play 10 or 15 minutes.
“Athletic is a very good team, with exceptional players. We must play at the highest possible level. We want to win our first match at the Camp Nou. That’s what we want.”
