Barcelona returns from the international break with its eyes set on maintaining its advantage atop the standings in La Liga, with a home game against Sevilla on Sunday, Oct. 20.
It's a mighty seven day stretch for Hansi Flick's team. Sevilla visits Barcelona to resume league action before Los Culés welcome Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Oct. 23 and then travel to Madrid for El Clásico against Real Madrid on Oct. 26.
There were some scares during the international break for the Catalans with both Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal returning to Barcelona with fitness concerns. Both players seem to have avoided serious injuries; however, Flick might err on the side of caution considering the upcoming busy schedule.
It's not all bad news for the Blaugranas. Gavi, Fermin López and Dani Olmo all returned to training and could see minutes in the game against Sevilla, though it would seem wise for Flick to ease them back to action.
Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. Sevilla (4-2-3-1)
GK: Wojciech Szczęsny—The Polish goalkeeper declared himself ready to make his Barcelona debut and with big games in the horizon it would be wise to give him the opportunity to use this Sevilla match to tune-up.
LB: Alejandro Balde—After an injury plagued season, Balde is back to the level that saw him play for Spain in the 2022 FIFA World Cup as a teenager.
CB: Pau Cubarsí—The 17-year-old La Masia product continues to put in solid performances that have earned him a call to the Spanish national team.
CB: Iñigo Martínez—The veteran presence in Barcelona's defense has taken a step up in his second season with the team building a strong partnership with Cubarsí.
RB: Jules Koundé—Koundé has become an essential piece for both Barcelona and France thanks to his stout defense and clarity with the ball.
CM: Marc Casadó—The 21-year-old had started to see more and more minutes in midfield before the international break. He's played the full 90 minutes in three out of the last four Barcelona games in all competitions.
CM: Frenkie de Jong—Having already played his first minutes of the season plus a two week break to fully get back into shape, the Dutch midfielder could start a game for the first time since April.
LW: Raphinha—Raphinha has been arguably Barcelona's best player this season. His strong form continued as he shined for Brazil, scoring two goals during the international break.
AM: Pedri—It wouldn't be the first time we see Pedri occupy the No. 10 role. With the health of Barcelona's midfield starting to improve, we could see him partner de Jong at the base moving forward with Olmo returning to the attacking midfielder role.
RW: Pau Víctor—Víctor should be in line to start, allowing Yamal to be fully healthy for the upcoming matches when Barcelona need him most.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. Sevilla: La Liga.
