Barcelona arrive in Seville with another reshaped side as Hansi Flick continues to rotate through his squad. For the 21:00 meeting with Sevilla at the Sánchez Pizjuán, the coach has made four alterations from the team that swept aside Racing, with Dominik Livakovic handed a surprise debut in goal.
Key takeaways
- Livakovic starts for Barcelona for the first time after Joan Garcia’s injury opened a vacancy in goal.
- Wojciech Szczesny is among the substitutes following the costly mistake that led to Racing’s unusual goal in the previous match.
- Eric Garcia keeps his place for a third successive game, while Pau Cubarsí returns to partner Andreas Christensen at centre-back.
- Rodri and Pedri again form the midfield base, a pairing Flick has retained since the Valencia fixture.
- Lamine Yamal stays on the right and Raphinha continues as the central forward, with Anthony Gordon selected on the left.
A new goalkeeper and a familiar rotation
Livakovic’s inclusion is the principal talking point in Barcelona’s selection for the Andalusian trip. The Croatian begins between the posts because of Joan Garcia’s fitness problem, while Szczesny must wait from the bench after his error against Racing resulted in a goal for the Cantabrian visitors.
The back line has also been adjusted. Eric Garcia remains in the side after starting each of the last two matches. Joao Cancelo, who scored and impressed against Racing, retains the left-back role. Cubarsí comes back into the XI alongside Christensen, who continues at the heart of the defence.
Flick’s starting team is Livakovic; Eric Garcia, Cubarsí, Christensen, Cancelo; Rodri, Pedri, Fermín; Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Gordon.
Pedri and Rodri hold the middle in Seville
Barcelona’s midfield structure remains unchanged, with Rodri alongside Pedri and Marc Bernal available as an alternative from the bench. Further forward, Fermín takes the attacking-midfield place after Dani Olmo occupied it against Racing.
On the left, Gordon gets the opportunity in the ongoing selection exchange with Karim Adeyemi. Lamine Yamal remains the established choice on the opposite flank, while Raphinha again leads the line and continues his run as the side’s ever-present centre-forward.
The Barcelona substitutes are Szczesny, Balde, Koundé, Gerard Martín, Bernal, Adeyemi, Gavi and Hamza.
