Hansi Flick gives Barcelona players five-day break before demanding fixture schedule

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has given players who were not selected by their national teams five days off as the club prepares for a demanding run of fixtures after the international break.

Flick led Barcelona’s final training session of the week on Wednesday morning, according to Spanish newspaper Marca. The session was held in a relaxed, family-like atmosphere for the second consecutive day because so many members of the squad are away on international duty.

The German coach has therefore reduced the workload for those remaining at the club, with the players not involved in international football given a break until next Monday.

A large group of Barcelona players are currently with their national teams around the world. They include Joan Garcia, Pau Cubarsi, Pedri, Fermin Lopez, Lamine Yamal, Marc Bernal, Joao Cancelo, Gordon, Frenkie de Jong, Livakovic, Raphinha and Hamza Abdelkarim.

That leaves Flick working with the club’s injured players – Roni Bardghji, Dani Olmo, Kounde, Espar and Rodri – as well as those senior players who were not called up by their countries.

The latter group consists of Andreas Christensen, Wojciech Szczesny, Alejandro Balde, Gerard Martin, Gabriel Jesus, Gavi, Eric Garcia, Adeyemi and Brian Farinas.

Youngsters Max Bonfil and Alex Gonzalez took part in Tuesday’s training session, but the international break has otherwise provided Flick with an opportunity to give his squad time away from competitive football.

All players will be off on Wednesday. Attendance on Thursday will not be compulsory and will be limited to those following medical recovery programmes or anyone who chooses to use the club’s training facilities.

No player will be required to report for training before next Monday.

Barcelona face packed programme

When the squad returns, Barcelona will begin an intensive period of work at the club’s training complex, with a crowded schedule set to continue until the Christmas break.

The Catalan side are due to compete in La Liga, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey during that period.

Barcelona’s listed fixtures include meetings with Villarreal, Sabah, Deportivo, Atletico Madrid, Celta Vigo, Manchester City, Malaga and Real Sociedad.

The club will also face the team drawn against them in the Copa del Rey. That draw has not yet taken place.

Barcelona are scheduled to play Villarreal in La Liga on 22 November 2026, one of the first fixtures awaiting Flick’s squad after the international period.