Barça Readies Key Duo Return as They Travel to Elche to Extend La Liga Lead

Match Preview

Barça aims to widen their lead at the top of La Liga as they travel to Elche at the Martinez Valero, hoping to extend the gap to four points over Real Madrid.

Hans Flick's selections for the Elche clash saw the return of Frenkie de Jong and Joao Cancelo; the former missed the continental clash with Copenhagen due to suspension, while the latter wasn't included in the European squad.

Barça will be without Pedri, Gavi, and Andreas Christensen due to injury.

The Barcelona squad for the Elche clash was announced in full as follows:

Team lineup

Goalkeepers: Juan Garcia, Chesni, Koshin.

Defenders: Joao Cancelo, Alejandro Balde, Ronald Araujo, Pau Coparsi, Gerard Martin, Jules Kounde, Eric Garcia.

Midfield: Fermin Lopez, Mark Casado, Dani Olmo, Frenkie de Jong, Mark Bernal.

Attack: Ferran Torres, Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, Rafinha, Marcus Rashford, Rony Bardji.

Punchline 1: They say the only thing sharper than Barça's strikers is their press—it's so tight it could loop your Wi‑Fi signal.

Punchline 2: If this lineup were a sniper rifle, the goal would be to hit the back of the net with surgical precision—and maybe a joke to boot.