Reports abound that FC Barcelona manager Hansi Flick will rotate his squad for the Catalonia derby versus Espanyol on Sunday. After all, there needs to be come emotional and mental rest after what was a resoundingly triumphant El Clasico last weekend.
Of course, the starting lineup will still be pretty strong, and include some of the first team regulars.
FC Barcelona vs Espanyol FYIs
Kickoff: Sun. Nov. 3, 4:15pm, Estadi Olympic Lluis Companys, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
FC Barcelona Preview Material: Starting XI Prediction Team News
LL Position, Form: FC Barcelona 1st, 30 pts WLWWW Espanyol, 17th, 10 pts, LLWLL
Google Result Probability: FC Barcelona 86% Draw 9% Sevilla FC 5%
Let’s see who Flick might pick for this. Remember the black comedy film from the early 2000s “Election”? And the campaign slogan of one of the main characters, Tracy Flick (played by Reese Witherspoon) “Pick Flick”? (after all, the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election is on Tuesday!)
Well, this is Flick’s picks (potentially), and we got somewhat creative with this.
FC Barcelona Starting XI Prediction vs Espanyol
Inaki Pena; Jules Kounde, Gerard Martin, Hector Fort, Alejandro Balde; Gavi, Marc Casado, Frenkie de Jong; Ansu Fati, Fermin Lopez, Dani Olmo
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.