In the wake of Barcelona’s Champions League quarter-final first leg defeat by Atletico Madrid, coach Hansi Flick faces a dilemma for Saturday’s La Liga derby clash against Espanyol.
With the champions seven points clear of second-placed Real Madrid at the top of the table, Flick may be tempted to rotate heavily ahead of Tuesday’s crucial second leg visit to face Atletico, trailing 2-0.
Alvaro Arbeloa’s Madrid hosts Girona on Friday and could cut the gap down to four points with a victory, which would make Flick’s choice harder.
Los Blancos are also in a tough spot following their 2-1 defeat by Bayern Munich in the Champions League, but have a bigger gap between the Girona game and the second leg in Bavaria next Wednesday.
“We have also a derby in three days on Saturday, our next match, it’s also important for us to win,” said Flick.
“We will see, we will analyse everything, what kind of options we have.”
The worst-case scenario would be suffering a first league defeat at Camp Nou since its reopening before being eliminated from the Champions League anyway in the Spanish capital.
With the league Clasico against Real Madrid on May 10 appearing on the horizon, Flick is keen to maintain Barca’s lead, but the Champions League may take precedence.
Several players who have been reserves for much of the season, like Ronald Araujo, Marc Casado and Roony Bardghji, could come into the side to take on an Espanyol team in free-fall.
After a strong start to the season, Manolo Gonzalez’s team have failed to win in 2026, which began with a 2-0 home defeat by Barca that set off their slump.
Midfielder Pedri Gonzalez is fundamental for Barca but came off at half-time in the defeat by Atletico, with a minor physical issue.
“Pedri had some problems. No big problems but in this situation we need him (going forwards) — so we made the decision to take him off the pitch,” said Flick.
Flick will hope to have midfielder Frenkie de Jong available for the second leg at Atletico and the Dutchman returned to training this week after a hamstring injury.
The Dutchman has a chance of being included in the squad to face Espanyol, while Barca can also find encouragement in Gavi’s performance against Atletico as a substitute.
It could buy the 21-year-old more game time at the weekend as he continues to find fitness following a long injury lay-off. “Gavi had a fantastic game,” said Flick.
Atletico Madrid visit Sevilla on Saturday and Diego Simeone is certain to rest several key players.
The Argentine coach has been focused on the cup competitions in recent weeks with his team fourth in La Liga and unlikely to slip with Real Betis 12 points behind in fifth.
Player to watch: Vedat Muriqi
Mallorca’s Kosovan target man Muriqi scored a vital goal last week to help the team beat Real Madrid and boost their chances of avoiding relegation. The forward has 19 goals this season, trailing only La Liga’s top goalscorer Kylian Mbappe and will look to add to his tally against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday in another important game.
Key stats
0 – shots on target for struggling Sevilla last weekend against Real Oviedo.
12 – no goalkeeper has more clean sheets than Barca’s Joan Garcia.
58 – fouls committed by Real Sociedad defender Jon Aramburu, the most in the top flight.
Fixtures
Friday (all times GMT)
Real Madrid v Girona (1900)
Saturday
Real Sociedad v Alaves (1200), Elche v Valencia (1415), Barcelona v Espanyol (1630), Sevilla v Atletico Madrid (1900)
Sunday
Osasuna v Real Betis (1200), Mallorca v Rayo Vallecano (1415), Celta Vigo v Real Oviedo (1630), Athletic Bilbao v Villarreal (1900)
Monday
Levante v Getafe (1900)
AFP
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