Barcelona has announced its 23-man squad for the Champions League opener against Feyenoord, marking the club’s first step in a competition it has not won since the Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Luis Suarez era delivered the trophy in 2015.
Eric Garcia the only change from Valencia win
The list is nearly identical to the side that secured a 0-5 victory in Valencia days ago, with one expected absence. Eric Garcia misses the match through suspension after his red card in the second leg of last season’s quarter-finals at the Metropolitano. The defender also suffered a broken nose in a collision with teammate Rodri at Mestalla, forcing his withdrawal before half-time.
De Jong and Roony Bardghji remain sidelined
The other two unavailable squad members are Frenkie de Jong and Roony Bardghji, both nursing injuries sustained during the summer.
Addressing De Jong’s condition in the pre-match press conference, head coach Hansi Flick stated: “Es un jugador que tiene una enorme calidad y estoy muy contento de que esté con nosotros, se tiene que recuperar y trabajar, todo va como estaba previsto y espero que lo podamos ver en unas semanas, veremos qué pasa después del parón de selecciones”, dijo el entrenador.
Full Barcelona squad for Champions League debut
The complete list of players called up for the UEFA Champions League phase opener:
- Joan Garcia
- Joan Cancelo
- Alejandro Balde
- Brian Fariñas
- Pau Cubarsi
- Gavi
- Fermin Lopez
- Pedri
- Gabriel Jesus
- Lamine Yamal
- Raphinha
- Xavi Espart
- Wojciech Szczesny
- Karim Adeyemi
- Andreas Christensen
- Rodri
- Anthony Gordon
- Gerard Martin
- Dani Olmo
- Marc Bernal
- Jules Kounde
- Dominik Livakovic
- Hamza Abdelkarim
Feyenoord arrive in strong form
Barcelona will face a Feyenoord side unbeaten this season as they target their first three points in the new league phase. While the Catalans have won all four of their domestic fixtures, the Dutch outfit boasts three victories and two draws in the opening five Eredivisie rounds. Extending the run to include last campaign, Gio van Bronckhorst’s team—a familiar opponent from previous European encounters—remains undefeated in 19 consecutive matches.
