FC Barcelona and Elche CF face each other this Sunday in LaLiga EA Sports 2025/26 at the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium in Montjuïc (18:30 CEST), for the eleventh matchday of the tournament. Hansi Flick's team arrives with six absentees due to injury, with Pedri González being the latest to return to the Barça infirmary.

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

Possible starting XI for Barça against Elche

  1. (#25, P) Szczesny
  2. (#24) Eric García
  3. (#04) Ronald Araujo
  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, G) Diego Kochen
  2. (#33, G) Eder Aller
  3. (#09) Robert Lewandowski
  4. (#18) Gerard Martín
  5. (#20) Dani Olmo
  6. (#22) Marc Bernal
  7. (#23) Jules Koundé
  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 Elche

In principle, Hansi Flick plans to make a couple of adjustments to his lineup from Matchday 10 against Real Madrid (2-1), with Ronald Araujo returning to the center of the defense. In addition, Marc Casadó is expected to start in place of Pedri. The Canary Islander was already ruled out due to suspension, but he has also been injured.

Goalkeeping and defense

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

Midfield:

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

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 and Toni Fernández await minutes on the bench alongside Roony Bardghji. Raphinha is still injured.

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

INJURED: This is the state of Barcelona's infirmary before Elche

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 would miss the match against Elche due to suspension, but now he 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 postponed for another week or two.

Andreas Christensen, meanwhile, will be out as a precaution. The Dane is suffering from discomfort in his right soleus and has not trained with the group during the week, so he will be out for the third consecutive match. 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 Elche against Barcelona

  • Starting XI: Iñaki Peña; Nuñez, Chust, Vigas, Pétrot; Aguado, Febas; Neto, Varela, Mir; Silva.
  • Bench: Dituro (G), Iturbe (G), Donald, Delgado, Diaby, Pedroza, Redondo, Mendoza, Josan, Ali Houari, Boayar, Rodríguez.
  • Injured: None.
  • Suspended: None.

Elche, meanwhile, comes to matchday 11 of LaLiga without any injury absences. The team from Elche, in principle, will maintain their starting XI from recent matchdays, with the goalkeeper on loan from Barça, Iñaki Peña, in goal and the Chust-Vigas duo in the center of defense. Nuñez and Pétrot will once again be the full-backs.

In the center of the field, the Aguado-Febas duo should be maintained in the double defensive pivot, with Martim Neto as an attacking midfielder. Germán Varela and Rafa Mir will be the wingers, while André Silva remains as the team's '9'.

Eder Sarabia's team, for the moment, remains in the middle of the standings, with 14 points resulting from 3 wins, 5 draws, and 2 losses. Although they have only scored 11 goals, their defense is their strong point, with 10 goals conceded in the same number of matches (2 less than Barça).