Barcelona's Pedri Dilemma: Who Steps Up to Fill the Midfield Void Against Elche?
After suffering their inaugural El Clásico loss under Hansi Flick's management, Barcelona return to competitive action this Sunday as they host Elche in Catalonia.
October proved to be a disastrous period for Barcelona. Flick's squad appeared to be a mere shadow of their early 2024–25 form, accumulating as many defeats in October alone as they had throughout the preceding eight months of the year.
A crushing loss to Real Madrid has left Barça trailing their arch-rivals by five points in the nascent title campaign. Should the Catalans wish to retain their La Liga championship, they must quickly rediscover their winning formula, especially considering how impressive Xabi Alonso's squad appears.
Injuries have significantly hampered Barcelona this season. Crucial players like Raphinha and Joan García continue to be unavailable, and following his red card dismissal in El Clásico, Pedri faces up to two months on the sidelines with a hamstring problem.
Frenkie de Jong's role will become increasingly vital, while Marc Casadó and Marc Bernal are expected to receive additional playing time to demonstrate their capabilities. Despite the injury concerns, Sunday's fixture represents a crucial victory opportunity for Barcelona to rebuild confidence in a battered squad, with the potential returns of Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo providing additional support for the reigning Spanish champions.
Here's Barcelona's potential starting eleven against Elche.
Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. Elche (4-2-3-1)
GK: Wojciech Szczęsny—The experienced goalkeeper stood out as one of Barcelona's few positives during El Clásico. Szczęsny made nine crucial saves, including denying Kylian Mbappé from the penalty spot.
RB: Jules Koundé—The French defender has been error-prone this campaign following an outstanding 2024–25 season. Should his poor form persist, his starting position may come under threat in upcoming matches.
CB: Ronald Araújo—Flick has shown reluctance to deploy Araújo in central defense due to his tendency for errors. Nevertheless, his physical presence and ability to defend in wide areas represents exactly what Barcelona have been missing recently.
CB: Pau Cubarsí—The young defender has found things difficult since Iñigo Martínez's exit. He has appeared unsettled throughout the campaign, yet he remains Barcelona's finest available central defender.
LB: Alejandro Balde—Balde has maintained a relatively low profile this season, but his talent is undeniable and he continues to be an essential component of Flick's starting formation.
CM: Marc Casadó—The academy product is set for an extended period as a regular starter while Pedri recovers. Casadó performed admirably when De Jong was absent during the early months of last season and will attempt to reestablish his position in Barça's midfield.
CM: Frenkie de Jong—De Jong will probably be assigned the responsibility of assuming Pedri's role as Barcelona's orchestrator in the center of the field.
RW: Lamine Yamal—Yamal's activities away from football have generated more discussion than his on-field displays recently. It's time for Barça's number 10 to let his football do the talking, although he's clearly still not completely recovered from a persistent groin issue.
AM: Fermín López—Fermín backed up his first Champions League hat-trick with a strike against Real Madrid. The dynamic midfielder has been outstanding since his injury comeback and will aim to maintain this positive trajectory.
LW: Marcus Rashford—The England winger has enjoyed a promising beginning to his Barcelona tenure. Standing in for Raphinha, the international has contributed to goals in six of Barça's most recent seven matches.
ST: Ferran Torres—The ex-Manchester City striker began the campaign impressively but his performances have declined lately. With Lewandowski returning to the squad, Torres may soon make way for the Polish striker.
