Pau Cubarsi will return to the Barcelona starting lineup when they take on Club Brugge in a UEFA Champions League clash at the Jan Breydel Stadium on Wednesday.

Barcelona will be eager to build on the win over Elche CF this past weekend when they lock horns with Club Brugge in a UEFA Champions League tie at the Jan Breydel Stadium on Wednesday night. Hansi Flick has received a positive update on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.

Andreas Christensen has resumed training with the group, with Joan Garcia on the cusp of returning. However, Flick has excluded the duo from the travelling squad to take on Club Brugge, and they will likely get closer to featuring on the weekend.

However, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Pedri, Gavi, and Raphinha remain in the treatment room. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Flick discussed the impact of injuries on his squad. The German tactician also spoke about the recent returns of Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski.

The Barcelona manager said, “We had a lot of injuries at the start of this season, but I like how the team trained ahead of the game at Club Brugge’s stadium, where there will be a great atmosphere. We can’t compare it to last season, as we now have several injured players. We had Raphinha, Lewandowski, and Lamine at the peak last season. Now they’re coming back from injuries, and we have to see.”

“We have to play as a team and focus on the game plan. We took a step forward with the win against Elche and we have got important players like Olmo and Lewandowski back. We have the quality to win against Club Brugge.”

Flick had more words of praise for Lewandowski during his presser. The Barcelona boss said, “Since I became a coach, I haven’t had a more professional player than Robert Lewandowski, who has returned from injury sooner than expected. We need the young players to reach their best level too.”

Wojciech Szczesny will continue to deputise for Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Joan Garcia between the sticks, with the away side lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Club Brugge on Wednesday. The backline will feature Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Eric Garcia, and Alejandro Balde.

As for the midfield unit, Marc Casado and Frenkie de Jong will retain their partnership in the double pivot. Fermin Lopez will reprise the no. 10 role, with Lamine Yamal and Marcus Rashford being the two wide attackers. Finally, Ferran Torres will lead the line for the away side against Club Brugge on Wednesday. So, Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo will be backup options on the bench.

Predicted Barcelona XI: Szczesny; Kounde, Cubarsi, Eric Garcia, Balde; Casado, de Jong; Yamal, Fermin, Rashford; Ferran Torres