Barcelona's Perfect Start Faces Sevilla Test at Sánchez Pizjuán
Barcelona head to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Saturday carrying a flawless La Liga record and the kind of swagger that comes with six wins from six. Eighteen points, free-flowing football, and a sense that Hansi Flick’s ideas are taking hold quickly in Catalonia.
Now comes a different kind of examination. Sevilla away. Heat, noise, and a stadium that rarely grants visiting sides an easy evening.
Flick’s big call in goal
All eyes fall on one position first. In goal, Wojciech Szczesny is poised to step in, with Joan Garcia ruled out by a right-knee injury.
Flick refused to rubber-stamp the Pole’s selection publicly in his pre-match comments, keeping a thin veil of doubt over the decision. But his words after Wednesday’s win over Racing Santander made the direction of travel clear. Barring a late twist, the 36-year-old will wear the gloves in one of Spain’s most hostile arenas.
Rotation with an edge
The German coach is not just tweaking at the margins. According to “Mundo Deportivo”, Flick is ready to ring the changes, and this time he confirmed at least one of them himself: Cubarsi will start.
That decision anchors a broader reshuffle. Marc Casado, Fermin Lopez and Anthony Gordon, all spared from action in the last outing, are in line to be restored to the XI. Fresh legs, but also a statement that no place is sacred in this new-look Barça.
The flip side is that some big names may step aside. Joao Cancelo, Dani Olmo and Karim Adeyemi are expected to drop to the bench, with Egyptian striker Hamza Abdelkarim likely joining them among the substitutes. It is rotation, but not gentle. Flick is clearly shaping a core and a supporting cast.
Eric Garcia, Rodri, Pedri, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha sit firmly in that core. They look locked into the coach’s first-choice framework, the spine and spark he trusts when the noise rises and the pressure bites.
The lingering doubt lies at the heart of the defence. Cubarsi is in; his partner is not yet set. Gerard Martin and Christensen are battling for that final central defensive slot, a duel that underlines how fierce the competition has become in Flick’s back line.
As it stands, Barcelona are expected to line up as:
Szczesny; Eric Garcia, Cubarsi, Gerard Martin, Espart; Rodri, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez, Anthony Gordon; Raphinha.
It is a team that mixes youth, energy and a few hardened campaigners. It is also a team that will be asked to maintain a perfect record in one of the league’s most unforgiving fixtures.
Sevilla wounded, but not broken
Sevilla arrive with their own problems. Belgian striker Lucas Stassin misses out through a muscle injury, while Ruben Vargas remains sidelined. Two attacking options gone, two headaches for the home dugout.
There is relief in defence, though. Senegalese defender Aroura Sangante has shaken off an ankle sprain and is back in contention. Central defender Kike Salas is also available, despite taking a knock to his right leg in the Riazor clash and sitting out Thursday’s training session.
So Sevilla are patched up, but not stripped bare. They still have the physicality and edge that so often turn this stadium into a furnace for visiting sides.
Barcelona arrive perfect. The question now is whether they can stay that way when the lights go up and the Sánchez Pizjuán roars back.
