FC Barcelona squad named for La Liga match against Rayo Vallecano

Barcelona, 8 December – Hansi Flick has finalised his 22-man selection for Sunday’s La Liga meeting with Rayo Vallecano at Camp Nou, keeping faith with the same group that overcame Newcastle in mid-week.

Goalkeepers Joan Garcia, Wojciech Szczesny and Diego Kochen have all been retained after Garcia shook off the knock that forced him off early against the English side. Defenders João Cancelo, Ronald Araujo, Pau Cubarsí, Gerard Martín, Eric Garcia, Álvaro Cortés and Xavi Espart complete the back-line options, while midfield resources include Gavi, Pedri, Fermín López, Marc Casadó, Dani Olmo and teenage pivot Marc Bernal.

In attack, Ferran Torres, Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, on-loan Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford and Swedish prodigy Roony Bardghji provide Flick with pace and variety.

The medical room remains unchanged: Alejandro Balde, Jules Kounde and Frenkie de Jong are still sidelined with hamstring issues, and Andreas Christensen continues his recovery from a knee complaint.

Kick-off is scheduled for 14:00 CET, with global coverage starting from 06:00 PT and 13:30 IST.

Barcelona, currently looking to consolidate their place at the sharp end of the table, will aim to extend an encouraging run of form against a Rayo Vallecano side that has already caused upsets this season.