FC Barcelona have not been afraid to experiment this season with their squad and the options that they have. Hansi Flick’s arrival made it clear enough that the German coach would be trying to implement his own tactics as much as possible. Fortunately, all those changes and tweaks have worked out for Barcelona so far.
Now, with just a few hours left before La Blaugrana play Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final, there is a need to potentially experiment once again. For starters, two key players for the team are expected to miss this fixture as it stands.
Both Robert Lewandowski and Alejandro Balde were missing from the official squad list, and it was expected as they are both currently sidelined. However, while the centre-forward position seems to be sorted even without the Polish ace, Balde’s absence creates a lot more problems.
It was thus expected that Gerard Martin would be the player to replace Balde in this upcoming final. Even now, judging based on what Flick has done regularly this season, Martin does seem to be the most likely candidate to fill that void.
However, as highlighted by Mundo Deportivo, there could be a twist in the final when it comes to Barça’s starting left-back. Reportedly, Hansi Flick recently tested out a backline in training which saw Hector Fort play as the left-back instead of Gerard Martin.
While this does not guarantee anything, it showcases that there might just be a possibility for Fort to start on the left flank in this upcoming game. Despite his lack of minutes this season, he was clearly impressive during his recent appearance against RCD Mallorca and that could have possibly changed Flick’s mind.
It remains to be seen what the official starting eleven for Barcelona ultimately ends up being. Until then, speculation is the primary way of guessing which player ends up starting where. While Flick does seem to have some selection headaches, most of his starting players seem to be guaranteed already.
