FC Barcelona and Valencia face each other in matchday 4 of LaLiga EA Sports 2025/26 at the Johan Cruyff Stadium. The 'Azulgrana' team arrives at the match with five players out due to injury, and Hansi Flick once again surprises with an unprecedented attack, including the debutant Roony Bardghji in place of Lamine Yamal.

The Swede will be on the right wing, accompanying Marcus Rashford and Ferran Torres. Gerard Martín, Pau Cubarsí, Marc Casadó, and Fermín López also return to the XI, while Dani Olmo and Raphinha will be substitutes along with Ronald Araujo.

Let's review the starting lineup, the substitutes' bench, and the injured and suspended players of Barcelona under Hansi Flick for the match against Valencia. Complete analysis!

Barça's starting XI:

  1. (#13, GK) Joan García
  2. (#23) Jules Koundé
  3. (#05) Pau Cubarsí
  4. (#24) Eric García
  5. (#18) Gerard Martín
  6. (#17) Marc Casadó
  7. (#08) Pedri
  8. (#16) Fermín López
  9. (#28) Roony Bardghji
  10. (#14) Marcus Rashford
  11. (#07) Ferran Torres

Barça's bench (substitute players):

  1. (#25, GK) Szczesny
  2. (#31, GK) Diego Kochen
  3. (#04) Ronald Araujo
  4. (#09) Robert Lewandowski
  5. (#11) Raphinha
  6. (#15) Andreas Christensen
  7. (#20) Dani Olmo
  8. (#22) Marc Bernal
  9. (#26) Jofre Torrents
  10. (#29) Toni Fernández

Injured players for Barça:

  1. (#01) Marc-André ter Stegen
  2. (#03) Alejandro Balde
  3. (#06) Gavi
  4. (#10) Lamine Yamal
  5. (#21) Frenkie de Jong

What will be the surprises and tactical variations of Flick's Barça against Valencia?

Hansi Flick revolutionizes his attack, with the inclusions of Rashford, Fermín, and Bardghji. Raphinha and Olmo will be on the bench, while Lamine is out due to injury. Meanwhile, Cubarsí returns to the center of defense alongside Eric, while Christensen and Araujo await their opportunity for the second half.

Goalkeeping and defense

  • Joan García will be in goal, while Eric García and Pau Cubarsí will be the center-backs. Jules Koundé and Gerard Martín appear on the wings. Jofre Torrents will once again be available alongside Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen. Alejandro Balde is out due to injury.

Midfield:

  • As a pivot, Marc Casadó will partner Pedri in midfield, while Fermín López also returns to the XI as an attacking midfielder after being a substitute in Vallecas. Dani Olmo and Marc Bernal must await their opportunity on the bench. Gavi is out due to injury, as is Frenkie de Jong.

Attack:

  • In attack, Roony Bardhji, a starter in his debut, and Marcus Rashford complete the 'Azulgrana' attack alongside Ferran Torres. The 'Shark' has two goals in three matches and hopes to score against Valencia again. Rashford and Robert Lewandowski will have minutes in the second half. The Brazilian, finally, will be a substitute for arriving late to the activation training.

Barça's absentees: Who will miss the match against Valencia?

Lamine Yamal in a match with Barça.

A total of five Barça players are confirmed to be out due to physical problems. Lamine Yamal was the last to arrive at the 'Azulgrana' infirmary, due to a pubic injury that prevented him from training normally on Friday and Saturday. The '10' is also doubtful for the Champions League debut against Newcastle next Thursday.

Another who returned from the break injured was Frenkie de Jong. The Dutchman suffers a 'minimal' injury to the external obturator muscle of his right leg, which ultimately left him out of the squad against Valencia. Alejandro Balde will also not be available, due to an injury to his left hamstring that points to a recovery time of about three weeks.

The fourth absence for the Barça-Valencia match will be Gavi. The midfielder remains sidelined from the group due to discomfort in his right knee, which, if it persists, will force him to undergo surgery to 'clean' the meniscus. For now, the club is opting for conservative treatment, pending the evolution of the '6'.

The last absentee, the most prolonged, is that of Ter Stegen. The goalkeeper underwent surgery on July 29 in Bordeaux and will be out for between four and five months, according to the deadlines set by the club. LaLiga confirmed the long-term absence of the German, after reviewing the 'Azulgrana' medical report, and, in the meantime, he is working at the Ciutat Esportiva to recover.

Valencia's lineup: A very defensive XI for Carlos Corberán's team

  • Starting XI: Agirrezabala; Foulquier, Tárrega, Diakhaby, Copete, Gayá; Javi Guerra, Santamaría, López; Danjuma and Hugo Duro.
  • Bench: Dimitrievski (GK), Vázquez, Ramazani, García, Raba, Cömert, Rioja, Iranzo, Otorbi, Núñez, López, Navarro, Blázquez.
  • Injured: None

Valencia, for their part, arrive with their entire team available for the visit to the Johan Cruyff Stadium. Carlos Corberán's team is coming off a thrashing of Getafe at Mestalla (3-0) before the break and has 4 points out of a possible 9, after one victory, one draw, and one defeat.

The 'Ché' team was thrashed twice this 2025 against Barça (7-1 in La Liga, 0-5 in Copa), but they are confident in taking advantage of the injuries in the Catalan team to salvage, why not, a point in the improvised alternative venue for matchday 4 of LaLiga.

At the Johan Cruyff, Valencia is betting on a very defensive XI with Agirrezabala, Foulquier, and Gayá as full-backs and the trident Tárrega-Diakhaby-Copete in the center of defense. Javi Guerra and Santamaría remain in midfield, with Diego López as the '10'. Danjuma will accompany Hugo Duro, the team's '9', in attack.

Valencia has not won three points as visitors against Barça since 15/16, and in 24/25, they received 14 goals in 3 matches, scoring only a couple of goals. Will the 'Culés' be able to maintain their brutal dominance against Corberán's team?