So far so good for the Hansi Flick era at FC Barcelona, but they haven’t really been tested yet. Matchday three, a trip to the capital city to take on Rayo Vallecano, likely won’t provide that much more of a challenge than the previous two matches.
Of course, maybe that’s good for the Blaugranes right now, as they’re still breaking in a new manager and dealing with a whole lot of transition.
FC Barcelona at Rayo Vallecano FYIs
Kickoff: Wednesday Aug. 27, Estadio de Vallacas, Madrid, Spain
Barca Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
La Liga Standing, Form: Rayo Vallecano 8th, 4 pts, WD FC Barcelona 2nd, 6 pts, WW
Google Result Probability: Rayo Vallecano 20% Draw 24% FC Barcelona 56%
Not to mention they certainly have some injuries to contend with right now. And on top of all that, there is a lot of last days of the summer transfer window drama to deal with right now as well.
So with that in mind, what is the strongest possible side that manager Hansi Flick could go with here? Here’s our best guess.
FC Barcelona Starting XI Prediction at Rayo Vallecano
Marc-Andre ter Stegen; Jules Kounde, Inigo Martinez, Pau Cubarsi, Alejandro Balde; Pedri, Marc Bernal; Ferran Torres, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha; Robert Lewandowski
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. 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.