Barcelona is on the road again. With hardly any time to digest the triumph of the Spanish Super Cup against the eternal rival and … much less the one in the Copa del Rey against Depor, Hansi Flick’s team visits the Reale Arena with the aim of continuing with the good dynamics and going straight into LaLiga. It will be a complicated match due to the improvement of the rival and also because of the buzz in recent days regarding the possible departures of Ter Stegen and, above all, Dro, a footballer very much liked by the German coach and who could already have his suitcases prepared, it is said that with Luis Enrique and PSG on the horizon.
The whirlwind of the last few weeks, with commitments every three days, has kept Flick very busy and he has suddenly found out that one of his jewels could be about to change scene. Dro has a six million euro clause, a candy that teams like City, Dortmund and of course PSG were not going to pass up. His possible departure has not sat well with the German, who saw in him an important bet for the future. «You may not agree, but they are 18-year-old adult players who make decisions. And there are adults who can incite them. I’ve already said enough. “I want to wait for it to be a thing of the past, but there are people around him… If he leaves, we will talk about it, but not yet,” said the German, who could not hide his discomfort in the preview.
That departure would join the possible one of Ter Stegen in the form of a loan to Girona and is the only blot for Barça in a stretch of the season in which everything seems to be going smoothly. The culés have already won eleven consecutive victories, they are leaders, they have surpassed Real Madrid in the Super Cup and the feelings continue to be good despite the fact that there is still room for improvement. These details, this possible high, are what Flick expects in the coming weeks. «We don’t win games with names, but with attitude and mentality. Each player must give one hundred percent. “This is Barça and I want this mentality,” he analyzed.
To do this, the former Bayern Munich player will once again have a wide range of cards in his hand. The infirmary continues to empty and only Christensen, Gavi and Dro himself are in it. This leaves Flick with an important puzzle thinking not only about Anoeta, but also about the transcendental Champions League exit next Wednesday against Slavia Prague in a key match to continue with options of reaching the ‘top 8’. Despite this, no major rotations are expected and Barça will come out with their entire arsenal, with Eric García regaining his place at the back alongside Cubarsí, with Pedri and De Jong in the midfield and with the only doubt of who will be the spearhead ahead of Fermín, Raphinha and Lamine Yamal. Ferran played in the Cup and Lewandowski could have an opportunity to continue earning his place.
The Matarazzo effect
In front will be a team that is progressing adequately and that is doing so thanks to the arrival of a coach with clear ideas. Matarazzo has recovered the intensity that has always predominated in Real Sociedad and has managed to stop his team from having those gaps that it had suffered in the first third of the competition. They have added four points in two games against Atlético (1-1) and away against Getafe (1-2).
Now comes an even tougher test and the American coach knows what the recipe for victory is. “If we want to win we have to perform in the best possible way in all phases of the game, controlling our strengths, attacking spaces, progressing well and doing everything with great quality,” he stated in the preview. To do this, they will have to overcome the absences due to injury of Lebarbier, Marchal, Rupérez, Yangel Herrera and Oskarsson.
Probable lineups:
Real Sociedad: Remiro, Sergio Gómez, Caleta-Car, Jon Martín, Aramburu, Turrientes, Soler, Guedes, Brais Méndez, Kubo and Oyarzabal.
Barcelona: Joan García; Koundé, Eric García, Cubarsi, balde, Pedri, of Jong, Lamal Yamall, Fermminated Nópez, Rapphinha y Lewandowski.
Referee: Jesús Gil (Extremadura Committee)
Stadium and time: Reale Arena 21:00 / DAZN.
