Fútbol Club Barcelona hosts Deportivo Alavés this Saturday at the Spotify Camp Nou with important changes in their lineup. Hansi Flick has once again tweaked his defense with Eric García moving to right-back instead of Jules Koundé. However, the main novelty is the presence of Marc Bernal from the start.

The 18-year-old midfielder, now recovered from the serious knee injury he suffered in Vallecas on August 27, 2024, had been a regular substitute until now. It's no wonder, as he has barely accumulated 48 minutes of action in 2025/26, spread across six appearances.

Bernal is the player with the least playing time in the Barça squad so far and, in that regard, Flick has taken advantage of Alavés' visit to start him 459 days after his unfortunate injury against Rayo. Marc Casadó will be his partner in the defensive double pivot, while Dani Olmo appears as the team's attacking midfielder.

In their last appearance as starters, Pedri and Raphinha completed the Barça midfield, in an XI that featured Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres, and Robert Lewandowski in the attacking trident.

Frenkie de Jong's absence opens the door for Marc Bernal in the XI

Against Alavés, Frenkie de Jong was supposed to start, but the Dutchman was a last-minute absentee for family reasons. This allowed Marc Bernal to enjoy his first start, on a day when Pedri receives medical clearance after a month out injured. The Canary Islander will likely play 10-15 minutes in the second half.

The one from Berga, for his part, will only play his fifth match in LaLiga 25/26. The '22' returned from his injury in matchday 4 against Valencia (6-0), a game in which he provided an assist in the 9 minutes he played. Afterwards, he came on at the end against Oviedo (1-3)

After five consecutive matches on the bench, he came back on for the final minutes against Elche (3-1), while last week, against Athletic (4-0), he played 16 minutes. In the Champions League, he also had 11 minutes of playing time against PSG (1-2) and another 10' in the thrashing of Olympiacos (6-1)

Bernal enters the fight for a place in Barça's starting XI

With Fermín López injured and Frenkie absent, Bernal will have the opportunity to accumulate a good amount of minutes against Alavés to prove that, once again, he can be a valuable alternative in Flick's rotation plan. Marc started 24/25 as a starter ahead of Casadó, when De Jong was out long-term.

After Frenkie's return, the Dutchman regained his starting position, performing at a very high level. The '21', along with Pedri, are undisputed in the German coach's system, but the schedule always provides opportunities for everyone. In addition to Bernal and Casadó,

Eric and Christensen can also lend a hand at the pivot position. Olmo, for his part, also took on a more sacrificial role as an interior player against Celta and Athletic, given the absences of Casadó and De Jong himself, who also missed Matchday 13 due to suspension.

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