Barcelona fans have called out manager Hansi Flick over his decision to name teenage midfielder Marc Bernal on the bench for their game against Atletico Madrid. La Blaugrana stand the chance of going seven points clear atop LaLiga after Real Madrid stumbled to a 2-1 defeat at Mallorca earlier today.
Fresh from the international break, Barcelona boss Flick has opted to rotate his squad for the trip to the Riyadh Air Metropolitano. One of the changes made by the German from the XI that defeated Rayo Vallecano before the international break was to leave Bernal out. Versatile Spaniard Eric Garcia has been named in the XI instead for the Catalan outfit.
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Barcelona fans are unhappy with the decision to leave out their 18-year-old midfield sensation, whose displays this season have been impressive. They took to X to complain about Flick’s decision with respect to the youngster.
One fan pointed out that leaving the young Spaniard out is a huge mistake.
Another fan simply questioned the decision to bench the teenager.
A fan asked why Garcia was chosen to start ahead of Bernal.
Another fan asked why Flick benched Bernal.
A fan also questioned why Bernal was excluded from the starting XI.
Marc Bernal has recovered fully from a damaged ACL he suffered at the start of the 2024-25 season to become a key player for the side. The La Masia graduate has appeared 27 times for the club across all competitions this season, popping up with five goals from his midfield role.
Rashford leads the line for Barcelona
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has named on-loan star Marcus Rashford as the spearhead of his attack in his side’s LaLiga meeting with Atletico Madrid. The Englishman is starting for the first time in nearly a month after losing his place in Flick’s preferred XI.
Rashford starts alongside Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo in attack for La Blaugrana, with Raphinha sitting out the game due to a hamstring injury he suffered on international duty. The 27-year-old has been selected to start against Los Colchoneros despite both Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres being fit and on the bench.
Marcus Rashford will look to use his pace to stretch the Atletico backline and hope to add to his ten goals this season. The 28-year-old has failed to score in each of his last nine appearances for club and country, and will hope to return to scoring form.
Edited by Sulayman Salahudeen