Barcelona manager Hansi Flick must decide how to replace Rodri when his side face Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano tonight, with the La Liga title race at stake.
Rodri was injured in Tuesday’s match against Aston Villa after suffering a hamstring problem and is expected to be out for about a month. His absence leaves Flick with a major selection decision for one of Barcelona’s most important matches of the season.
There is some encouragement for the German coach, however, with Eric Garcia and Andreas Christensen both receiving medical clearance to return.
Eric Garcia was injured against Real Betis on 17 October, damaging the rectus femoris muscle in his right thigh. He had been expected to miss between three and four weeks but recovered after only three weeks. Flick said at his news conference on Monday that the Spain defender could even start.
Christensen, who had made an impressive start to the campaign, suffered an injury in Seville on 19 September. The problem affected the rectus femoris muscle in his left quadriceps, with an absence of around six weeks initially forecast. That period ends this week, and although the Denmark defender will travel to the Metropolitano, Flick is not expected to risk him from the beginning.
Flick therefore regains two defenders for a back line that has been badly affected by injuries. Xavi Espart and Jules Kounde remain on the injured list, according to Sport.
The number of absentees, combined with limited use of Balde, has led Flick to consider Brian Farinas at right-back. The manager could continue with the player who arrived from Valencia against Atletico Madrid, although another option would be to use Eric Garcia there.
Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin and Joao Cancelo are expected to retain their places in defence.
The choice to replace Rodri is another key question. Against Aston Villa, Flick selected Marc Bernal, who produced a very strong second-half performance alongside Pedri. Bernal is now competing with Frenkie de Jong for a starting place, with the Netherlands midfielder gradually receiving more minutes after recovering from the injury he suffered during the 2026 World Cup.
Fermin Lopez is expected to operate as the attacking midfielder, with Lamine Yamal on the right, Raphinha centrally and Gordon on the left. Ademi is also in contention after he was unused in Barcelona’s Champions League meeting with Aston Villa.
Mundo Deportivo’s predicted Barcelona line-up for today’s 12th-round La Liga match uses a 4-2-3-1 formation:
Goalkeeper: Juan Garcia.
Defence: Brian Farinas, Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin, Joao Cancelo.
Midfield: Marc Bernal, Pedri/Fermin Lopez, Anthony Gordon.
Attack: Raphinha.
Atletico Madrid will be without Cristian Romero because of a muscular injury, while Johnny Cardoso is unavailable with a thigh problem.
Morten Hjulmand returns after missing the match against Bayern Munich, and Lee Kang-in could come back into the starting line-up alongside Julian Alvarez.
Simeone is expected to use a 4-4-2 formation:
Goalkeeper: Oblak.
Defence: Marcos Llorente, Marc Pubill, David Hancko, Javi Galan.
Midfield: Giuliano Simeone, Pablo Barrios, Morten Hjulmand, Alex Baena.
Attack: Lee Kang-in, Julian Alvarez.
