Pedri and Jules Kounde will return to the Barcelona starting lineup when they host Atletico Madrid at Spotify Camp Nou on Tuesday.

Barcelona will be eager to widen the gap atop La Liga when they welcome Atletico Madrid to Spotify Camp Nou on Tuesday night. Hansi Flick has received a positive update on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen has resumed training after recovering from a lower back injury. Additionally, Eric Garcia should be available to take on Atletico Madrid despite picking up a knock this past weekend against Deportivo Alaves.

However, Ronald Araujo, Gavi, and Fermin Lopez remain in the treatment room, with Araujo yet to recover from illness. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Flick provided fitness updates on Pedri, Araujo, and Raphinha.

The Barcelona manager said, “Yes, he [Pedri] is [ready to start], he can start. Raphinha is ready, but Araujo isn’t ready to play yet. We’ve taken care of Raphinha, he only did the rondo and then stopped. I’m confident he’ll be able to play the whole match. Ronald isn’t ready, it’s a private matter, and I don’t want to say any more. I’d ask you to respect that, it’s all I can and will say.”

Meanwhile, during his presser, Flick discussed ter Stegen’s fitness after his resumption of training. However, the German tactician ruled out a return for the veteran German goalkeeper, and he also heaped praise on Joan Garcia, his team’s first-choice goalkeeper.

The Barcelona boss said, “This is not the time to talk about this [ter Stegen’s return. He’s not fit to play. We have to wait and see what happens next. I coached Neuer and Marc, who are fantastic goalkeepers. Joan has a great future ahead of him. From day one, you can see his potential, and he demonstrates it in matches. He has great quality in goalkeeping and with his feet. He’s very quick. It was the right decision for the club. He gives us a lot for the coming years. He brings great security.”

Joan Garcia is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Barcelona lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Atletico Madrid on Sunday. The backline will feature Jules Kounde, Eric Garcia, Pau Cubarsi, and Alejandro Balde.

As for the midfield unit, Pedri will line up alongside Frenkie de Jong in the double pivot, with Dani Olmo reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Robert Lewandowski will lead the line for the home side against Atletico Madrid, with Raphinha and Lamine Yamal being the two wide attackers. So, Marcus Rashford and Ferran Torres will be backup options on the bench.

Predicted Barcelona XI: Joan Garcia; Kounde, Eric Garcia, Cubarsi, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski