Hansi Flick expected to rotate Barcelona XI heavily against Real Valladolid – report | OneFootball

FC Barcelona are set to take on Real Valladolid in La Liga this weekend, and although this is important from a La Liga context, the Catalan club has a four-point lead and are facing the 20th-placed side in the table and have an important Champions League semi-finals tie to contend with.

Many of the Barcelona team looked completely knackered on the night against Inter Milan, and Hansi Flick will be keen to give them as much rest as possible while also ensuring that he doesn’t compromise on the result against Valladolid.

Having already been relegated, Valladolid don’t have much to play for. On paper, this should be a fairly comfortable fixture for Barcelona. Even if Flick plans to rotate most of the XI, they should still be able to get the job done.

It must be difficult to be in the shoes of Hansi Flick at the moment. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Hansi Flick turns to fringe players ahead of key fixtures

Now, as per journalist Toni Juanmarti via SPORT, Marc-André ter Stegen, Ansu Fati, Héctor Fort, Gerard Martín, Andreas Christensen, and Gavi are all expected to start in this weekend’s fixture. Fermín López and Pau Víctor are two other names who could be in contention for a starting berth.

Ter Stegen would be playing his first game since his ill-fated injury against Girona early on in the season, and the club captain will be hoping to regain match fitness going forward. Although he is not going to be involved in the Champions League, it is important for him to regain match sharpness.

Gavi is expected to start in a double pivot alongside either Frenkie de Jong or Pedri, with Fermín playing as the attacking midfielder, which could allow Dani Olmo to get some rest.

However, given Dani Olmo’s recent performances, Hansi Flick might opt to start Fermín at San Siro instead. In that case, Dani Olmo would start against Valladolid, while Fermín would be the one rested.

Ansu Fati and Hector Fort started together on the left flank against Mallorca and showcased great chemistry, but for the game against Valladolid, Flick could choose to use Fort on his natural right side and put Martin on the left.

Can Ansu Fati build on his performance against Mallorca? (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)

Complete rest

Players like Pedri, Lamine Yamal, Iñigo Martínez, Raphinha, and Cubarsi should be kept out of the starting XI, as they have already logged significant minutes. Unless the second half demands their presence to rescue the game, there’s no need to overwork them.

It remains to be seen how many changes Flick eventually makes for the game against Valladolid, and do not be surprised if he goes with a clean sheet. The rest is of utmost priority ahead of a gruelling second leg, and let’s see how the cookie crumbles.