Some weeks ago, it was expected that the midfielder Frenkie de Jong will be able to return to his best shape by the time two very difficult matches against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid arrived for FC Barcelona.
This was increasingly looking to be the case as he returned to the pitch in the matches against Young Boys and Alaves and had the October international break to get further rest and get back to his optimal shape.
However, he suffered discomfort while training on Saturday and was unable to play even a single minute in last night’s match against Sevilla.
Furthermore, Flick had another piece of bad news awaiting him as Eric Garcia also suffered some physical problems in the warm-up to this match.
In such a context, Marc Casado and Pedri once again formed the double pivot in the midfield, while Raphinha played as the attacking midfielder. His place on the wing was taken by Ansu Fati.
Furthermore, Flick was also able to recover two more of his midfielders in this match, as both Gavi and Fermin Lopez made their returns to the pitch.
According to SPORT, with both Frenkie de Jong and Eric Garcia facing physical problems, one of these recovered midfielders, Fermin Lopez, can get a starting spot for the upcoming crunch tie against Bayern Munich.
If that turns out to be the case, Casado and Pedri will once again be the two pivots in the game against the Bavarians, while €50m-rated Olympic gold medal winner will play higher up, as an attacking midfielder.
Still, Frenkie and Garcia would be Flick’s preferred options for the midfield. But if neither of them is in good physical shape for this game, Fermin would be another compelling option for the German tactician. Another young Barcelona midfielder, Pablo Torre, who scored two goals against Sevilla, can also get some more minutes in that game.
