Jules Kounde will return to the Barcelona starting lineup against Levante at Ciutat de Valencia on Saturday night.

Barcelona will aim to continue the excellent start to the 2025/26 La Liga campaign when they lock horns with Levante at Ciutat de Valencia on Saturday night. Hansi Flick has received a positive update on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.

Robert Lewandowski has resumed training this week, and he is closing in on returning to action. However, it is unclear if the veteran Polish striker will be ready to take on Levante from the get-go. Meanwhile, Marc-Andre ter Stegen remains on the sidelines due to a back injury.

Wojciech Szczesny, Gerard Martin, and Roony Bardghji remain unavailable, as the reigning La Liga champions have yet to register the trio in the league. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Flick discussed Lewandowski’s potential return and the options to lead the line for the Blaugrana.

The Barcelona manager said, “We have several options up front. Ferran’s coming off a goal, and we’ll see if Lewandowski is available. He [Rashford] gives us more possibilities. I know he’s more comfortable playing as a winger, but with his strengths, he contributes a lot to our play. I’m confident we’ll see a great Marcus Rashford this season.”

Flick also elaborated on his scathing assessment of his team’s performance against Mallorca, saying, “I’ve been a player, I know how these things happen. But what matters is that we need to improve, especially in games like that. We need to stick to the game plan, that’s what I want them to do. That’s what I told them after the Mallorca match. And they got the message.”

Joan Garcia will retain his spot between the sticks, with Barcelona lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Levante on Saturday. The backline should feature Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Pau Cubarsi, and Alejandro Balde, with Kounde replacing Eric Garcia as the right-back.

As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Pedri and Frenkie de Jong in the double pivot, with Fermin Lopez reprising the no. 10 role again. Ferran Torres should lead the line for the away side, with Raphinha and Lamine Yamal completing the numbers in the final third. So, Rashford and potentially Lewandowski will be backup options on the bench.

Predicted Barcelona XI: Joan Garcia; Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Balde; Pedri, de Jong; Yamal, Fermin, Raphinha; Torres