How will Barcelona line up against Real Betis in another huge La Liga match?
Hansi Flick’s possible XI for Saturday’s clash
Barcelona look for a sixth consecutive win in La Liga to maintain their spot at the top of the table as the Catalans travel to Seville for a monster clash against Real Betis at the La Cartuja Stadium.
The Blaugrana are coming off their best win of the season against Atlético Madrid but face another brutal test as Betis have lost just two games all season in all competitions, and have plenty of threats to cause Barça all kinds of problems at home.
Here’s how we think Hansi Flick will line up his troops for Saturday’s battle:
Defense
Barça still looked vulnerable at the back against Atlético but had one of their most solid defensive performances of the season, so it’s safe to assume the coach will stick with the same back four as he did in midweek: Jules Kounde at right-back, Pau Cubarsí at center-back, Alejandro Balde and left-back, and Gerard Martín once again starting as the left-sided center-back after a seriously impressive performance against the Colchoneros.
Midfield
Barça get a big boost in midfield as Frenkie de Jong is back after a bout with the fever that kept him off the squad for the game against Atlético, and we think the Dutchman will finally be reunited with Pedri in the double pivot. Fermín López also returned to training but isn’t ready to start just yet, and with Dani Olmo out for the rest of 2025 with a shoulder injury and Dro Fernández probably not ready to play from the beginning in a game of this importance, we think Raphinha will move to midfield and play as a number 10 in this one.
Attack
There is a monster Champions League game against Frankfurt next Tuesday, which means there won’t be a lot of recovery time and it might be a good idea to rest a veteran like Robert Lewandowski to make sure the Pole is fully ready for a huge European night. With that in mind we think Ferran Torres will start up top, with Marcus Rashford on the left and Lamine Yamal on the right.
Possible XI: Joan; Kounde, Cubarsí, Martín, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Raphinha, Rashford; Ferran (4-2-3-1)
How do you think Barcelona should line up against Real Betis? Let us know your thoughts, predictions and teams in the comments below!
