Still licking their wounds after a nightmare night in the Spanish capital, Barcelona will be back in action on Monday when they visit Catalan neighbors Girona as they look to continue to pick up the pace in the race for the La Liga title.
Barcelona lost to Atlético Madrid 4-0 in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final. This was the worst defeat of the Hansi Flick era and Barça have a mountain to climb if they want to repeat as competition champions.
However, the focus shifts to La Liga. Barcelona need to continue their good form to remain at the top of the table, while Real Madrid briefly moved ahead of the Blaugranas after their win over Real Sociedad. Anything short of three points from the visit to Girona would be a failure, especially as Flick’s side need to respond after the defeat in midweek.
Girona have escaped the relegation zone in recent weeks and have been on a roll of late. However, Michel’s side still have a lot of injuries and Barcelona have a huge quality advantage.
Snapshot matching
- 🕒 Kickoff time: 3:00 PM ET / 12:00 PM PT / 8:00 PM GMT
- 📍 Location: Estadio Municipal de Montilivi
- 🏆 competition: la liga
- 📊 Recent forms: LWWWW
team news
- ⚠️Major injuries, absences, and suspicions: Pedri, Gabi, Andreas Christensen, Marcus Rashford, Raphinha
- 🔢 Expected formation: 4-2-3-1
Raphinha and Marcus Rashford both missed the midweek trip to Madrid, hampering Barça’s attack. Although each injury is reported to be minor, the Englishman is yet to train with the team and his availability for the game in Girona is a big question mark.
Meanwhile, Rafinha will return to training on Saturday and could be included in the traveling squad. Still, it might be a little too early to imagine him joining the starting lineup.
Pedri is still weeks away from returning from his hamstring injury. His absence was noticeable in the defeat against Atleti, with Marc Casado unable to provide a solution in midfield and being caught out within 40 minutes.
Expected lineup for Barcelona vs. Girona (4-2-3-1)
GK: João Garcia–García has had a great start to 2026, but his form has been quite poor in recent games, culminating in a terrible mistake that led to Barça’s humiliation in midweek.
RB: Jules Kunde–The decline in the form of French players this season has become a big problem. Still, he was one of the few players to achieve respectable results at the Metropolitano.
CB: Pau Kubalsi–Kvarsi’s below-average physicality has been exploited by opponents all season. The exciting teenager must find a solution, or Ronald Araujo will get more chances.
CB: Eric Garcia-Garcia is coming off his worst performance this season, but remains one of Flick’s most trusted players. Although he received a red card against Atleti, his suspension will not carry over to La Liga and he will start alongside Kvarsi.
LB: Alejandro Balde–The space that Baldé created at the back was a dangerous route for his opponents. If La Masia graduates do not improve their consciousness, they will continue to be exposed.
DM: Frenkie de Jong–De Jong didn’t have an answer to stop Atleti’s onslaught in midweek. The Barça captain will be keen to control the game from midfield, balancing a team that looked completely broken last Thursday.
DM: Marc Bernal– The teenager is not only a skilled distributor with great technique, but also provides the physicality in midfield that Barcelona sorely need. After a recent impressive cameo, Bernal could make his second start in the league this season, having fully recovered from his anterior cruciate ligament injury.
RW: Ramin Yamal— Barcelona’s exciting playmaker was nowhere to be found at the Metropolitano. The teenager will get a fresh start on Monday after his five-game scoring streak came to an end.
CM: Fermin Lopez– López’s energy, intensity and hyperactivity could be crucial against Girona’s makeshift midfield. He has been less productive in recent games, but he can still perform against teams that give him space.
LW: Dani Olmo— Olmo starts on the left side where he can drift freely in the middle, exchanging positions with López and Ferran while allowing Balde to provide width and depth with constant overlap. Rafinha could return from injury in the second half.
ST: Ferran Torres—Torres will lead the line as manager Flick targets Daley Blind’s aging legs and aims to make Barcelona’s attack more fluid, but the team tried this strategy in a comeback, but youngster Toni Fernandes failed to make much of an impact.