Club Brugge and FC Barcelona face each other this Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 at the Jan Breydel stadium in Bruges (21:00 CEST), for the fourth matchday of the league phase of the tournament. Hansi Flick's team arrives with six absentees due to injury, with Pedri González and Andreas Christensen being the most recent.

Here's a review of the possible starting lineup, the substitutes' bench, and the injured and suspended players for Hansi Flick's Barcelona in the match against Brugge. Complete analysis!

Possible Starting XI for Barça against Brugge

  1. (#25, GK) Szczesny
  2. (#23) Jules Koundé
  3. (#24) Eric García
  4. (#05) Pau Cubarsí
  5. (#03) Alejandro Balde
  6. (#17) Marc Casadó
  7. (#21) Frenkie de Jong
  8. (#16) Fermín López
  9. (#10) Lamine Yamal
  10. (#14) Marcus Rashford
  11. (#07) Ferran Torres

Barça bench (substitute players)

  1. (#31, GK) Diego Kochen
  2. (#33, GK) Eder Aller
  3. (#04) Ronald Araujo
  4. (#09) Robert Lewandowski
  5. (#18) Gerard Martín
  6. (#20) Dani Olmo
  7. (#22) Marc Bernal
  8. (#26) Jofre Torrents
  9. (#27) Dro Fernández
  10. (#28) Roony Bardghji
  11. (#29) Toni Fernández
  12. (#42) Xavi Espart

Injured Barça Players

  1. (#01, G) Marc-André ter Stegen
  2. (#06) Gavi
  3. (#08) Pedri
  4. (#11) Raphinha
  5. (#13, G) Joan García
  6. (#15) Andreas Christensen

Possible surprises and tactical variations from Flick against Bruges

In principle, Hansi Flick plans to make only one change to his starting XI from matchday 11 of LaLiga against Elche (3-1), with Pau Cubarsí returning to the center of defense in place of Ronald Araujo. In addition, Marc Casadó is expected to start in place of the injured Pedri. The offensive trident, in principle, will maintain Ferran Torres as '9', alongside Lamine Yamal and Marcus Rashford.

Goalkeeping and defense

  • Wojciech Szczesny will be in goal, while Jules Koundé and Alejandro Balde would be the full-backs. In the center of defense, Eric García should accompany Pau Cubarsí, with Ronald Araujo waiting for his opportunity on the bench. Jofre Torrents and Gerard Martín will also be available, as will Xavi Espart. Andreas Christensen is still injured.

Midfield:

  • As a pivot, Marc Casadó is expected to be Frenkie de Jong's partner in midfield, while Fermín López would once again be the team's attacking midfielder. Dani Olmo returns from injury and will add minutes in the second half, as he did against Elche.

Forwards:

  • In attack, Lamine Yamal and Marcus Rashford would complete the Barça attack alongside Ferran Torres. The 'Shark' will remain in the starting XI despite the return of Robert Lewandowski, who is also returning from injury. Dro Fernández awaits minutes on the bench alongside Roony Bardghji. Raphinha is still injured.

Barça casualties: Which players will miss the match against Brugge due to injury?

Pedri in the press conference prior to Barça-PSG

A total of six Barça players will be confirmed absentees due to physical problems. The club has once again lost Raphinha before the Clásico, once the Brazilian's relapse from his right thigh injury was confirmed. In that sense, Rafa joins Pedri González as an offensive casualty.

The midfielder will be out for around a month due to an injury to his left thigh. Joan García, meanwhile, underwent surgery to treat an injury to his left meniscus. The return of the player from Sallent could be delayed until after the November break.

Andreas Christensen, meanwhile, has once again been left out. The Dane is suffering from discomfort in his right soleus muscle and, although he trained on Monday at the Ciutat Esportiva, he has been left out of the squad. The outlook is much more complex for Gavi.

The midfielder underwent arthroscopy and, finally, had to have surgery on the internal meniscus of his right knee. Therefore, the '6' will be out for between four and five months, with the tentative date for his return being February 2026. The latest absence is Ter Stegen, who will be out of action, at least, until the end of November or the beginning of December.

Possible lineup of Bruges against Barcelona

  • Starting XI: Jackers; Sabbe, Mechele, Ordóñez, Seys; Audoor, Stankovic, Vanaken; Tzolis, Forbs, and Tresoldi.
  • Substitutes: Fortin (GK), De Fougerolles, Rodes, Moutha-Sebtaoui, Koto, Acquah, Hrncar, Vermant, Berte, Kadiri.
  • Injured: Simon Mignolet, Bjorn Meijer, Ludovit Reis.
  • Suspended: None.

Brugge, meanwhile, arrives at matchday 4 of the Champions League with 3 absentees due to injury. The Belgians will not be able to count on the experienced goalkeeper Simon Mignolet or the former Barça Atlètic midfielder, Ludovit Reis. The left back Bjorn Meijer also remains on the sidelines.

In principle, Nicky Hayden's team will take the field with Jackers in goal and a four-man defensive line made up of the Mechele-Ordóñez duo in the center, while Sabbe and Seys would once again be the full-backs.

Stankovic and Vanaken would be the two defensive pivots, with Audoor helping with the marking. Tzolis and Forbs will be the wingers, with Nicolò Tresoldi at the tip. The Italian-German striker has 6 goals this season, one of them in the Champions League.