Flick Reunites Squad to Challenge Newcastle
Hansi Flick announced his squad at midday ahead of Barcelona’s Champions League return leg against Newcastle. The match kicks off at 18:45, after a 1-1 draw at St. James’s Park.
On paper, Flick Reunites Squad to Challenge Newcastle and the coach kept the same 23 players named for Sevilla last Sunday. The list includes academy graduates Xavi Espart and Álvaro Cortés, plus regulars Tommy Marqués and Diego Kochen.
Jules Koundé and Alejandro Balde remain sidelined. Both are not expected back until after the international break.
Team selection and context
Flick relied again on a full-back and centre-back from the B team. That choice responds to the two absences from the senior squad.
Several starters rested in the Sevilla game. Lamine played only the final 20 minutes, while Eric García and Ferran Torres did not feature.
Expected lineup
- Goalkeeper: Joan García
- Defence: Eric García, Cubarsí, Gerard Martín, Cancelo
- Midfield: Bernal, Pedri
- Attack: Lamine, Fermín, Raphinha, Ferran Torres (as centre forward)
Discipline and availability
No Barcelona player arrives at the game suspended. Four players are on yellow-card warning, though.
The cautioned quartet includes Lamine, Fermín, Casadó and Gerard Martín. A yellow today would rule any of them out of a hypothetical first leg of the quarter-finals.
Filmogaz.com confirmed the squad and the coach’s intentions for the fixture. The team will aim to overturn or defend the 1-1 first-leg result tonight.
