A trip to Girona last season was the catalyst for Xavi Hernandez’s exit over the summer in the eyes of some, and their visit to Montilivi is not likely to be easy this time round either. Both teams are suffering from injuries though.
The Blaugrana are without Gavi, Frenkie de Jong and Marc Bernal in midfield, but as pointed out by Diario AS, the hosts will be missing their starting pairing too. Oriol Romeu is unavailable as Barcelona have a ‘fear clause’ inserted into his loan move, meaning he is unable to play against them. Meanwhile Yangel Herrera is injured, which leaves Michel Sanchez relying on the still green Jhon Solis and Donny van de Beek, who is getting back up to speed.
Other options are for Michel to drop Ivan Martin into a deeper role, or move David Lopez, Miguel Gutierrez or Ladislav Krejci forward.
Hansi Flick counts on Ansu Fati for the game vs. Girona. The attacker has many options to enter the squad list. @ffpolo
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) September 6, 2024
Girona have surprised some with their early season form, despite losing a number of key players over the summer, and they will no doubt still take the game to Barcelona. Their loud neighbours will be hot favourites though, after the excellent start that Hansi Flick has had. Michel will be hoping to bring Barcelona back down to earth with a bump.
