Barcelona vs Athletic: probable lineups and absences for the Super Cup semi-final

FC Barcelona and Athletic Club face each other this Wednesday in the 2026 Spanish Super Cup at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah (20:00 CEST), for the tournament's semifinal. Hansi Flick's team arrives with two players out due to injury, with Ronald Araujo now available after almost a month and a half on the sidelines.

We review the possible starting lineup, the substitute bench, and the injured and suspended players for Hansi Flick's Barcelona for the match against Athletic. Complete analysis!

Possible Barça starting XI against Athletic

1. (#13, P) Joan García
2. (#23) Jules Koundé
3. (#05) Pau Cubarsí
4. (#18) Gerard Martín
5. (#03) Alejandro Balde
6. (#24) Eric García
7. (#08) Pedri
8. (#16) Fermín López
9. (#10) Lamine Yamal
10. (#11) Raphinha
11. (#07) Ferran Torres

Barça Bench (substitute players)

1. (#25, P) Szczesny
2. (#31, P) Diego Kochen
3. (#04) Ronald Araujo.
4. (#09) Robert Lewandowski
5. (#14) Marcus Rashford
6. (#17) Marc Casadó
7. (#20) Dani Olmo
8. (#21) Frenkie de Jong 
9. (#22) Marc Bernal
10. (#26) Jofre Torrents
11. (#27) Dro Fernández
12. (#28) Roony Bardghji
13. (#43) Tommy Marqués

Injured Barça Players

1. (#01, P) Marc-André ter Stegen
2. (#06) Gavi
3. (#15) Andreas Christensen

Suspended Barça Players:

1.  None.

Flick's Possible Surprises and Tactical Variations Against Athletic

Fermín López in training before the Barça-Guadalajara Copa del Rey match

In principle, Hansi Flick plans to make a couple of changes to his XI against Espanyol (0-2), with Pedri González and Fermín López returning to midfield in place of Frenkie de Jong and Marcus Rashford. Raphinha would return to the left wing of the attack

Goalkeeping and defense

• Joan García will be in goal, while Jules Koundé and Alejandro Balde would be the full-backs. In the center of defense, Pau Cubarsí and Gerard Martín should remain in the middle. Ronald Araujo could be on the bench along with Marc Casadó and Jofre Torrents. Diego Kochen will be a substitute alongside Szczesny. Ter Stegen returned to Barcelona due to injury.

Midfield:

• As a pivot, Eric García is set to be Pedri González's partner in midfield, while Fermín López would be the team's attacking midfielder instead of Raphinha. Marc Bernal could get minutes in the second half, as could Frenkie de Jong. Dani Olmo will also be a regular substitute in the second half.

Forward:

• In attack, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha would complete the Blaugrana attack alongside Ferran Torres. Robert Lewandowski and Roony Bardghji would be substitutes this Wednesday, as would Marcus Rashford. The Englishman played the first half against Espanyol, but had a poor performance. 'Lewy' came on in the second half and scored the definitive 0-2.

Barça Absences: Which Players Will Miss the Match Against Athletic Due to Injury?

Currently, only two players are out due to significant injuries. Pablo Gavi continues his recovery from knee surgery and could return to action in mid-February.

Andreas Christensen suffered a partial cruciate ligament tear before the trip to Villarreal and is expected to be out for four or more months. Ter Stegen returned to Barcelona on Tuesday night after suffering an injury in training. Diego Kochen took his place.

Possible Athletic lineup against Barcelona

• Probable XI: Unai Simón; Areso, Dani Vivian, Paredes, Lekue; Ruiz de Galarreta, Jauregizar; Iñaki Williams, Oihan Sancet, Nico Williams; Gorka Guruzeta.
• Bench: Padilla (GK), Santos (GK), Gorosabel, Adama Boiro, Monreal, Vesga, Unai Gómez, Rego, Sánchez, García, Izeta, Berenguer, Navarro.
• Injured: Yuri Berchiche, Aymeric Laporte, Unai Egiluz, Beñat Prados, Maroan Sannadi. Suspended: Yeray Álvarez.

For their part, Athletic will be without two of their starting defenders, central defender Aymeric Laporte and full-back Yuri Berchiche, both injured. Ernesto Valverde has five players out due to physical problems, in addition to the suspended Yeray Álvarez (doping) to face the Spanish Super Cup.

Barring a surprise, 'Txingurri' will bet on Unai Simón in goal and a 4-2-3-1 formation to try to contain Barça with a compact block and the speed of the Williams brothers in attack. Jesús Areso and Iván Lekue are poised to be the full-backs, while **the Vivian-Paredes duo will be fixed in the center**

As defensive double pivots would be Mikel Jauregizar and Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta, while Oihan Sancet could be the attacking midfielder. Up front, **Iñaki and Nico Williams will accompany Gorka Guruzeta** to try and hurt the blaugrana defense.

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