Lamine Yamal Sparks Barcelona’s Bold Front against Atletico Madrid: Will Flick’s Near-Perfect XI Deliver?
2 December 2025
Lamine Yamal Sets Barcelona’s Expected XI Against Atletico Madrid
Barcelona are bracing for a tough La Liga clash with Atletico Madrid, with coach Hansi Flick expected to rely on a near-unchanged starting XI and the attacking spark of Lamine Yamal leading the charge as several players return from injury.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Pedri and Rafinha have regained fitness and featured recently, giving them a strong chance to start against Atletico, provided there are no signs of lingering muscle issues.
Frenkie de Jong is also available again after overcoming a personal matter that kept him out of the Alavés game, bringing Flick closer to a 'cohesive formation' he described in his last press conference—the idea of preserving a familiar back line, with Pedri and De Jong in midfield.
Even with injuries to Ter Stegen, Gavi, Fermín López and Ronald Araujo, Flick can still field a near-unchanged XI at Spotify Camp Nou.
It is anticipated that the Barcelona lineup will include a goalkeeper, a back line featuring Koundé and Eric García, a midfield trio of Pedri, De Jong and Olmo, and an attack built around Lamine Yamal with Ferran Torres or Robert Lewandowski alongside Rafinha.
That means the big question for the bench and the press room is whether Torres or Lewandowski leads the line against Atletico's physical unit under Diego Simeone, with Yamal and Rafinha providing the typical pressing and pace.
With Lewandowski’s age, he sometimes eases the high work rate to preserve his sharpness, a trade-off Flick manages with his trust in big-game reliability.
Regardless, Flick aims for a cohesive unit at Camp Nou, and Barcelona fans will hope Yamal can spark the attack as the team chase a win.
Sniper joke 1: If Yamal finds the net, the defense will swear the goal was a rare, precise strike—even the sharpshooter in the stands would nod in approval.
Sniper joke 2: And if Flick’s plan misses, keep calm—the bench will deliver a motivational quote and a stronger espresso to power the comeback.
