Barcelona still weighing midfield options for Atletico Madrid clash

Barcelona will face Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano tonight with the contest for the top of La Liga at stake, but manager Hansi Flick is still considering how best to replace the injured Rodri.

Rodri suffered a hamstring injury during last Tuesday’s meeting with Aston Villa and is expected to be sidelined for approximately a month. His absence leaves Barcelona without an important option for one of their key matches of the season.

Flick has, however, received a boost with Eric Garcia and Andreas Christensen both cleared to return. Eric Garcia was injured against Real Betis on 17 October, suffering damage to the rectus femoris in his right thigh. He was initially expected to miss three to four weeks, but recovered after only three and could even start, according to Flick at his news conference on Monday.

Christensen, who made a strong start to the season, has been out since sustaining an injury in Seville on 19 September. The Danish defender damaged the rectus femoris of the quadriceps in his left leg and was expected to be absent for around six weeks, a period that ends this week.

Although Christensen will be in the squad at the Metropolitano, Flick is not expected to risk selecting him. His return nevertheless gives Barcelona two more defensive options at a time when the back line has been heavily affected by injuries. Xavi Espart and Jules Kounde remain unavailable, according to Sport.

The number of absentees, combined with limited reliance on Alejandro Balde, has led Flick to consider using Valencia player Brian Farinas at right-back. The German coach must decide whether to continue with him against Atletico Madrid or take the risk of selecting Eric Garcia there. Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin and Joao Cancelo are expected to retain their places in the defence.

Finding Rodri’s replacement is another major selection dilemma. Flick used Marc Bernal alongside Pedri in the second half against Aston Villa, with Bernal producing an impressive performance.

Bernal is now competing with Frenkie de Jong for a starting place. De Jong has begun to receive more playing time after recovering from the injury he suffered during the 2026 World Cup.

Further forward, Fermin Lopez is expected to operate as the attacking midfielder, with Lamine Yamal on the right, Raphinha centrally and Gordon on the left. Karim Adeyemi is also in contention after receiving no minutes against Aston Villa in the Champions League.

Mundo Deportivo’s predicted Barcelona formation for today’s 12th-round La Liga match is 4-2-3-1: Joan Garcia in goal; Brian Farinas, Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin and Joao Cancelo in defence; Marc Bernal, Pedri or Fermin Lopez and Anthony Gordon in midfield; and Raphinha in attack.

Atletico will be without Cristian Romero because of a muscular injury, while Johnny Cardoso is unavailable with a thigh problem. Morten Hjulmand returns after missing the match against Bayern Munich, and Lee Kang-in could start alongside Julian Alvarez.

Diego Simeone’s expected 4-4-2 line-up is Jan Oblak; Marcos Llorente, Marc Pubill, David Hancko and Javi Galan; Giuliano Simeone, Pablo Barrios, Morten Hjulmand and Alex Baena; with Lee Kang-in and Julian Alvarez up front.