Alejandro Balde and Robert Lewandowski will return to the Barcelona starting lineup when they take on Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium on Sunday.

Barcelona will be eager to return to winning ways and reclaim the summit of La Liga when they lock horns with Sevilla at the Ramons Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium on Sunday evening. Hansi Flick has a new roster issue to worry about ahead of his side’s latest fixture.

Lamine Yamal is the latest absentee due to another pubic issue that has forced Flick to exclude him from the travelling squad to take on Sevilla. The Spanish international has joined Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Joan Garcia, Gavi, Fermin Lopez, and Raphinha on the sidelines.

Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Flick spoke at length regarding Yamal’s absence, answering several questions on him. The German tactician said, “He felt good on Wednesday, otherwise he wouldn’t have played against PSG. I’ve spoken to him. He’s better today, but still not ready to play.”

The Barcelona manager added, “Everyone knows his quality, but we have to give him the right number of minutes when he’s back. And I will. If players aren’t 100 per cent fit, they focus on their strengths. He’s incredible with the ball, but you also have to be good without it. You have to manage the minutes well.”

“We don’t know when Lamine will be back because with this injury, it’s not easy to know, as it’s not a muscle injury. We don’t know if he’ll be back in two, three or four weeks. I don’t know if he’ll be ready for El Clasico. We have to manage his minutes. He’ll work with the recovery team. He’ll take it step by step. We’ll see how he progresses.”

Flick also addressed questions insinuating Yamal was badly managed by Luis de la Fuente. The Barcelona boss said, “The situation you’re talking about happened after the last league break, and I just want to protect my player and support him. That’s what this is about. It’s water under the bridge. It’s in the past now. I don’t think negatively. These things happen.”

Wojciech Szczesny will deputise for Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Joan Garcia, with Barcelona lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Sevilla on Sunday. The backline will feature Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Pau Cubarsi, and Alejandro Balde.

As for the midfield unit, Pedri and Frenkie de Jong will pair up in the double pivot, with Dani Olmo reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, the offensive trifecta picks itself, with Robert Lewandowski replacing Yamal, joining Ferran Torres and Marcus Rashford in the offensive third.

Predicted Barcelona XI: Szczesny; Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Balde; Pedri, De Jong; Torres, Olmo, Rashford; Lewandowski