Barcelona welcome Elche to Catalonia on Sunday following their first El Clasico defeat of the Hansi Flick era.
October has been a nightmare month for Barcelona. Flick's side looks a bit different than they will in 2024-25, losing as many games in October as they did in the first eight months of the calendar year.
Losing to Real Madrid means Barca are five points behind their rivals in the early stages of the title race. If the Catalans are to defend their La Liga title, they will need to return to form quickly given how strong Xabi Alonso's side look.
Injuries have seriously affected Barcelona this season. Key players such as Rafinha and Joan Garcia remain sidelined, while Pedri will miss two months with a hamstring injury after being shown a red card in El Clasico.
Frenkie de Jong's presence will become increasingly important, with Marc Casado and Marc Bernal likely to get more game time to impress. Despite the injury problems, Sunday's game is a must-win for Barcelona to restore confidence in an injured squad, with the return of Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo only helping Spain's title defense.
Here is Barcelona’s lineup against Elche.
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Lamine Hjalmar (left) and Marcus Rashford will start against Elche. /Judit Katir/Getty Images
Goalkeeper: Wojciech Szczesny– The veteran was one of the few bright spots in Barcelona's El Clasico. Szczesny made nine saves, including a penalty save against Kylian Mbappe.
RB: Jules Condé– The Frenchman has been prone to mistakes this season after a stellar 2024-25 campaign. If his slump continues, his spot in the lineup could be in jeopardy.
Central defender: Ronald Araujo– Flick has been hesitant to give Araujo a chance at centre-back because of his tendency to make mistakes. However, his physicality and ability to defend in the open space are exactly what Barcelona have lacked recently.
CB: Paul Cubasi– The teenager has struggled since the departure of Inigo Martinez. He's looked uncomfortable all season, but he's still Barcelona's best centre-back.
LB: Alejandro Balde– Balde has had a quiet season overall, but there is no denying his ability and he remains an untouchable part of Flick's lineup.
CM: Mark Casado– The La Masia graduate will be a permanent starter while Pedri recovers. When De Jong missed the first few months of last season, Casado filled in brilliantly and tried to regain a foothold in Barcelona's midfield.
CM: Frenkie de Jong– De Jong may take over from Pedri as Barcelona's midfield director.
RW: Ramin Yamal— Lately, Yamal's antics off the court have attracted more attention than his performance on the court. It's time for Barcelona's No. 10 to do his talking on the pitch; however, he's clearly not fully recovered from a nagging groin injury.
Morning: Fermín Lopez– Fermin scored his first Champions League hat-trick against Real Madrid. The dynamic attacker has been in fine form since returning from injury and will be looking to continue that positive momentum.
Left back: Marcus Rashford——This is a good start to Rashford's career in Barcelona. The England international replaces Rafinha and has scored in six of Barca's last seven games.
ST: Ferran Torres– The former Manchester City man had a strong start to the season but has seen his level drop of late. With Lewandowski back in the squad, it may only be a matter of time before Torres makes way for the Pole.
Despite the serious injuries, Barcelona still has a strong squad. / FordMo