Young Yamal and Rashford Spark Barça in a Clutch Champions League Test Against Olympiakos

Team news and lineups

The German coach Hans Flick named Barcelona’s starting XI to face Olympiakos, on Tuesday at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, in a UEFA Champions League group stage match. The attack was led by the young Lamine Yamal, pairing up with English forward Marcus Rashford, while Dru Fernández started and Ferran Torres and Frenkie de Jong were among the substitutes.

Barça also included Pedri in midfield as part of a lineup that featured several youngsters, with Ferran Torres and Frenkie de Jong aboard the bench for this European test. Barcelona have recently faced a spate of injuries, with Rafinha, Robert Lewandowski, Pablo Gavi and Juan García all unavailable for selection.

As for the opposing side, Olympiakos lined up in a traditional 4-3-3 shape, aiming to probe Barca’s defense and exploit any spacing given the Blaugrana’s injury-enforced absences. The full details of the starting XI for both sides were announced ahead of kickoff.

Barça’s official lineup included Szczęsny in goal, with Balde, García, Cuparsi, and Conde in defense, Casado, Pedri, Dru Fernández in advanced roles, and Yamal and Rashford supported by Ferran Torres and Verdin in attack. On the Olympiakos side, a sturdy backline and a midfield trio sought to match Barca’s pace as the game got underway.

Barcelona: Szczęsny - Balde - Garcia - Cuparsi - Conde - Casado - Pedri - Dru Fernández - Verdin - Yamal - Rashford. Olympiakos: Tzoulakis - Ortega - Peroula - Ritsos - Kostinha - Garcia - Hezi - Boudins - Chakinho - Martins - El-Kaabi.

According to Marca’s notes and additional club sources, Ferran Torres was given medical clearance to feature, returning to the squad after not training fully with the group the day before. His inclusion added a timely bite to Barça’s forward line, as Flick seeks a balance between patient build-up and dangerous transitions.

Meanwhile, Danish defender Andreas Christensen was ruled out due to a health issue, extending Barça’s defensive absences as Flick weighs his best available resources for this high-stakes European encounter.

As is customary, Flick also called up several youngsters from the reserve side to complete the matchday squad, adding Pedro Fernández Dre, Antonio Fernández, and Juan Hernández to the travelling party for the third Group Stage game of the Champions League.

Barça’s readiness before kickoff

Data from La Liga’s official statistics indicates Barca have shown a worrying physical dip under Flick’s leadership, with the 2025-26 campaign opening amid concerns about the team’s stamina and distance covered per match. Barcelona’s running metrics have slipped relative to last season’s strong showing, despite high-pressing intentions and a willingness to sustain intense ball pressure.

Reports from Sport, citing La Liga’s data, show a sharp drop in total meters run and in high-speed kilometers per hour compared to the previous season, underscoring a period of rhythm loss in Barcelona’s engine room. In 2024-25, Barça ranked among the league’s most active sides, while this season’s eight games have seen them fall down the table in distance covered per match, now sitting behind several rivals in the intensity race.

The gap to direct competitors has widened, with Atlético Madrid leading in distance per game and others like Espanyol, Elche, and Celta Vigo showing higher totals than Barcelona. Real Madrid, meanwhile, sits at the lower end of the spectrum, suggesting a structural issue in the physical plan that Flick is keen to address through tweaks in positioning and collective effort.

Flick explains his approach

The Barça boss admitted in the lead-up to this Olympiakos clash that he must adjust certain behaviors after a red card against Girona on the weekend for challenging decisions and a hand gesture following a late own goal. “I’m not angry, but my emotions aren’t what they used to be,” Flick said, noting his affection for the club and the desire to protect his image for future generations.

He added that the defensive shape needs refinement, especially when analyzing the Girona match, and stressed the importance of maintaining proper spacing between players to prevent opponents from exploiting gaps. “Finding the right balance between compactness and pressure is crucial, otherwise we invite the opponent to advance with less effort,” he explained, outlining the tactical fixes he intends to employ against Olympiakos.

In closing, Flick highlighted the need to improve the distance between lines when pressing and to ensure the team sustains a coordinated effort throughout the ninety minutes. The message was clear: Barcelona will aim to intensify their collective effort in Europe, even if the path isn’t perfectly linear this season.

Punchlines: If Barca’s pace drops any further, they’ll install a treadmill on the Camp Nou to keep up with the fixture list. And if Flick’s emotions continue to flip, their next tactical board might just come with a built-in emotion detector — call it the “Flick-o-meter.”