17e5c6Hans Flick, Barcelona’s head coach, has announced his squad for Thursday evening’s match against Athletic Bilbao, a postponed fixture from the opening round of the Spanish La Liga season.
Barcelona will host Athletic Bilbao at Camp Nou as the Catalan side looks to maintain its positive start after securing a convincing 5-0 victory over Elche in the second round of the competition.
The squad once again includes Egyptian striker Hamza Abdelkarim for the second consecutive La Liga match. The young forward was also named in the squad against Elche but did not feature in the game.
Abdelkarim will be hoping to make his official debut for Barcelona against Athletic Bilbao, even if only for a few minutes, particularly after impressing during the club’s pre-season preparations.
Rodri is also included in the squad and could make his Barcelona debut after joining the Catalan club from Manchester City.
Alejandro Balde has also returned to the squad after missing the match against Elche, amid continued speculation over the left-back’s future and the possibility of his departure during the current transfer window.
Barcelona’s squad for the match against Athletic Bilbao is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Joan García, Wojciech Szczęsny, Iker Aller.
Defenders: Eric García, Alejandro Balde, João Cancelo, Koundé, Pau Cubarsí, Gerard Martín, Christensen, Xavi Espart.
Midfielders: Rodri, Pedri, Fermín López, Dani Olmo, Marc Bernal, Brian Farnias.
Forwards: Hamza Abdelkarim, Karim Adeyemi, Raphinha, Anthony Gordon, Lamine Yamal.
Barcelona will be looking to take advantage of home support to secure another three points and maintain their strong start to the La Liga campaign, while fans will be eagerly awaiting Rodri’s potential debut and the possibility of Hamza Abdelkarim making his first appearance for the club.