How will Barcelona line up against Atlético Madrid?

Madrid – Barcelona’s Copa del Rey semi-final journey begins with a daunting trip to the Metropolitano on Thursday, and Hansi Flick is expected to unleash his strongest available XI for the first-leg duel with Atlético Madrid.

Fresh off a low-stress victory over Mallorca that allowed key figures to recharge, Barça have enjoyed four full days of targeted preparation. The stage and the opponent leave little room for rotation, so Flick is poised to stick with the back four that has served him best of late: Jules Kounde at right-back, the teenage Pau Cubarsí partnered by Eric Garcia in the middle, and Alejandro Balde on the left. Ronald Araujo’s encouraging return to action keeps the pressure on, yet the Uruguayan will likely begin on the bench.

In midfield, Frenkie de Jong is set to reprise his pivot role after a complete weekend off that stretched his rest to nearly ten days. With Pedri and Gavi still unavailable and attacking reinforcements thin, Flick is expected to pair the Dutchman with La Masia graduate Marc Bernal and station Dani Olmo just ahead as the roaming No. 10.

The injury list in the wide areas has forced further improvisation. Raphinha remains sidelined with an adductor complaint, while emergency winger Marcus Rashford has succumbed to a knee issue. That opens the door for Fermín López to shift to the left flank, allowing on-fire teenager Lamine Yamal to occupy the right. Up top, Ferran Torres gets the nod over veteran Robert Lewandowski, giving Barça a mobile front line designed to stretch Atlético’s compact block.

Projected Barcelona XI (4-2-3-1): Joan; Kounde, Cubarsí, Eric Garcia, Balde; De Jong, Bernal; Yamal, Olmo, Fermín; Ferran.

Kick-off at the Metropolitano is slated for Thursday evening, and the selection choices Flick makes could set the tone for the entire tie.