At a glance
- Rashford will start for FC Barcelona against Atletico Madrid in light of Raphinha’s injury.
- Flick goes for Ferran instead of Lewadnowski up front.
- His ‘wildcard’ Eric Garcia gets the nod at right back.
- FC Barcelona Line Up Vs. Atletico Madrid: Joan Garcia; Araujo, Cubarsi, Gerard, Cancelo; Eric, Pedri; Fermin; Lamine Yamal, Olmo, Rashford.
Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford will never get a better chance than this to shine and convince FC Barcelona to buy him outright for €30 million, when starting against Atletico Madrid for a vital La Liga Matchday 30 clash at the Metropolitano on Saturday.
Raphinha was just starting to return the kind of form that made him a Ballon d’Or candidate in 2025 with a hat trick against Sevilla and a brace that helped thrash Newcastle United 7-2 a Champions League last 16 second leg tie.
Playing a friendly match against France for Brazil in Foxborough, however, the number 11 went off injured at half time and was later diagnosed with a right thigh injury which the club believes will keep him sidelined for five weeks.
With this in mind, Rashford has trust placed in him by Hansi Flick to deliver against Atleti on the left wing, ahead of facing the same opposition twice in the UCL quarterfinals over the next 10 days or so.
The Englishman can provide the pure pace he showed representing his country against Uruguay at Wembley last month, and “burning” teammate Ronald Araujo as well as Real Madrid’s Fede Valverde on the wing.
Hopefully, against the Rojiblancos, one of those runs results in finding false ‘9’ Dani Olmo in the box.
Rather than fielding Ferran Torres – linked to the home team – or Robert Lewandowsk, Flick has decided not to deploy a pure striker.
Eric Garcia is Flick’s other big call
A ‘wildcard’, Swiss Army knife of a player for Flick as Pol explained ahead of the weekend, Eric Garcia returns for Barca as a pivot while Ronald Araujo is ahead of Xavi Espart and Jules Kounde as the right back.
Kounde received medical clearance alongside fellow full back Alejandro Balde at around 11AM on Saturday in Catalonia, but he’s still not fit enough to head straight into an intense clash of this magnitude.
Joan Garcia is of course the goalkeeper seeking a 13th clean sheet after conceding four here last time in the Copa del Rey semifinal.
The centre-back pairing is Pau Cubarsi and Gerard Martin, while Joao Cancelo continues to keep Balde out of the first XI upon his return from a knock alongside Kounde.
At the same time Frenkie de Jong still doesn’t have clearance to leave the sick list, Eric replaces a Marc Bernal expected to start as a pivot amid his brace-scoring exploits at the Spotify Camp Nou against Atleti in the Copa del Rey semifinal second leg.
Eric is joined by Pedri, though, of course, while Fermin Lopez is the CAM continuing to be chosen by Flick as Dani Olmo leads the front line.
Last but not least, let’s not forget Lamine Yamal. He’s the right winger charged even more than Rashford with stepping up in Raphinha’s absence, and delivering something special in this ground as he did with the famous 2-4 remontada ReadBarcelona enjoyed in the away end this time last year, among 300 other Culers.
FC Barcelona Line Up Vs. Atletico Madrid: Joan Garcia; Araujo, Cubarsi, Gerard, Cancelo; Eric, Pedri; Fermin; Lamine Yamal, Olmo, Rashford.
