Barcelona begin their 2026-27 La Liga campaign at Elche on Sunday, with Egyptian forward Hamza Abd Elkarim in contention for a place in the starting XI after an impressive pre-season.
The Catalan club’s opening fixture was postponed, meaning their title defence will start with an away match at the Martinez Valero. Hansi Flick’s side are seeking a strong opening after winning the league in each of the past two seasons.
Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo has outlined the expected line-up for Barcelona, while also highlighting the uncertainty over who will lead the attack.
Abd Elkarim has emerged as Barcelona’s leading scorer during their summer preparations, with four goals. His performances have brought him firmly into Flick’s plans before the competitive season gets under way and have led to speculation that he could be selected as the team’s central striker.
The 20-year-old is competing for that role, with Raphinha or Gordon also capable of operating as a false nine. However, the projected line-up published by Mundo Deportivo does not include Abd Elkarim from the start.
Instead, Gordon is expected to play through the middle, with Raphinha and Lamine Yamal on either side of the attack.
Joan Garcia is predicted to start in goal, behind a defence of Alejandro Balde, Gerard Martin, Andreas Christensen and Eric Garcia.
Xavi Espart, Fermin Lopez and Marc Bernal are expected to form the midfield, while Raphinha, Gordon and Yamal make up the projected front three.
Rodri Hernandez will not be included in Barcelona’s squad for the match, despite having completed his formal registration with the club.
The Spain midfielder has yet to take part in full training with his new team because he needs more time to reach full fitness. He started pre-season later than the rest of the squad.
Rodri is expected to join Barcelona’s group training session on Monday. His first appearance for the club will then depend on how quickly he reaches the required level of fitness.
Joao Cancelo, who joined Barcelona later in the summer, is expected to be included in the squad. He has completed two weeks of training with Al-Hilal and is therefore considered further along in his preparation than Rodri.
The expected Barcelona line-up is:
Goalkeeper: Joan Garcia
Defenders: Alejandro Balde, Gerard Martin, Andreas Christensen, Eric Garcia
Midfielders: Xavi Espart, Fermin Lopez, Marc Bernal
Forwards: Raphinha, Gordon, Lamine Yamal
Elche’s projected team is:
Goalkeeper: Dituro
Defenders: Sangare, Affengruber, Redondo, Schust, Valera
Midfielders: Villar, Aguado
Forwards: Huarte, Fer Nino, Cepeda
The match at the Martinez Valero will provide Barcelona with their first competitive test of the new campaign, while Abd Elkarim will hope his pre-season form is enough to earn him a starting role or an opportunity from the bench.
