Barcelona open La Liga title defense at Elche without new signing Rodri

Barcelona will begin their La Liga title defense with an away match against Elche in the second round of the Spanish league, scheduled for 21:30 on Sunday (19:30 GMT) at the Manuel Martinez Valero stadium. However, the Catalan side will be without new signing Rodri, who is not yet eligible to play.

Hansi Flick enters his third season at Barcelona after leading the team to a second consecutive La Liga title. But this season, the club has undergone significant squad changes as they aim to maintain domestic dominance, face the challenge of Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid, and end their Champions League drought that dates back to 2015.

How have Barcelona changed?

Barcelona's most notable signing is Rodri from Manchester City. The departures of veteran striker Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres have forced Flick to rebuild his attack. Barcelona have played effective attacking football but have shown defensive weaknesses since Flick arrived in 2024, and the club hopes the arrival of World Cup winner Rodri will help address that.

Rodri, captain of the Spanish national team, is seen as a market opportunity Barcelona did not want to miss, especially with Real Madrid also interested in the 30-year-old midfielder. He brings not only control and defensive ability but also experience winning the biggest trophies at club level. "I came here to compete for everything, for big things like the Champions League," Rodri said at his unveiling.

Flick will also need to rebuild his attack, with new signings Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi considered a good fit for the German coach's high-intensity style, as both possess pace and strong pressing ability.

The striker puzzle

The big question for Barcelona is whether sporting director Deco can find a center-forward before the transfer window closes. The pursuit of Julian Alvarez failed, leaving Flick without a clear replacement for Lewandowski.

"What Ferran did we can cover with signings, but what Robert did is harder," Deco said. "We have internal solutions, but there will be other moves; we will try to find the best solution."

Barcelona could opt for a cheaper striker and save their spending for next summer, after splashing out on Rodri and Gordon. Dani Olmo, Raphinha, Gordon, and Adeyemi can all play as a "false nine," giving Flick multiple options to compensate for the lack of a true center-forward.

Lamine Yamal as the big hope

Barcelona place their faith in young talent Lamine Yamal. At just 19, Yamal has become the most important attacking player and the figure around whom the club's ambitions are built. If Rodri provides stability at the back and Flick finds enough goals from a restructured attack, Barcelona have the tools to keep their La Liga crown.

Flick did not reveal who will start as the striker at Elche but praised the pre-season form of young Egyptian talent Hamza Abdelkarim, after the 18-year-old scored four goals in friendlies. "Hamza had a great pre-season," Flick said. "He is a number nine, still young with a lot of potential, and he has scored goals. That is important when playing in this position, and he has done well."

Last meeting

Barcelona won 3-1 at the Martinez Valero in La Liga in January, with goals from Yamal, Ferran Torres, and Marcus Rashford for the visitors.

Prediction and head-to-head

Opta's supercomputer rates Barcelona as clear favorites with a 68% chance of victory, compared to 14% for Elche. This will be the 57th meeting between the two sides in official competitions, with Barcelona winning 36 times and Elche nine.

Team news and predicted lineups

Elche will be without Adam Boayar and Yago Santiago due to injuries. The hosts drew 1-1 with Deportivo in their opening match and are expected to stick with a three-man defense against Barcelona. Predicted line-up: Dituro; Chust, Redondo, Affengruber; Sangare, Villar, Aguado, Valera; Houary, Nino, Cepeda.

For Barcelona, Rodri will be absent, but the former Manchester City midfielder could make his debut in Thursday's match against Athletic Bilbao. "He is very focused. Our plan is for him to join the team on Monday," Flick told reporters on Saturday. Frenkie de Jong remains unavailable, and Roony Bardghji is also out with a cruciate ligament injury. However, Flick said new signing Joao Cancelo, who was signed this week, could feature. "He is ready to play. He has great technique and a lot of passion," Flick added.

Predicted Barcelona line-up: J Garcia; E Garcia, Kounde, Martin, Balde; Pedri, Bernal; Yamal, Fermin, Raphinha; Abdelkarim.