Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has implied that star midfielder Pedri Gonzalez will not be fit for the entirety of their Copa del Rey clash with Atletico Madrid. The Blaugrana will attempt an historic comeback from four goals down after the first leg of their semi-final, a feat they have achieved just once before.
The hope for Barcelona had been that Pedri would be back fit to play the entire match against Atletico. However the Canary Islander only played half an hour against Villarreal on Saturday, when it was predicted that he would start.
“We have to manage it. We have many more matches besides this one. We’ll see how many minutes he can play.”
Robert Lewandowski ruled out with eye-socket fracture
Although Barcelona do have Pedri back in action, they will be without Robert Lewandowski. On Sunday it was confirmed he had sustained a fracture to his eye socket when scoring against the Yellow Submarine in their 4-0 win. There is some hope he could return in time to face Athletic Club this weekend.
“We have to accept it and deal with it. It was unlucky this situation because he turned around and crashed into the opponents shoulder and then happy he scored… It’s always huge to not having a player like him, like Gavi, like Frenkie, Andreas, but the team always manages it well. This will give other players a chance to prove themselves.”
‘I have not decided the starting XI’
Flick was also asked about Ronald Araujo’s chances of starting the match – the Uruguayan defender has done so just once since recovering from his mental health break.
“Yes, obviously. We have a team and they’re doing very well defensively. Ronald, too. We’ll see if he starts; I can’t say yet because I haven’t decided on the starting eleven. I know their strengths, but I have to think about it.”
🚨 Marc Casadó was one of the best conditioned candidates to fill in for the injured Frenkie de Jong, but he has some discomfort and hasn’t trained properly last week. [@scapde_45] pic.twitter.com/bFxos2iv4w
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) March 2, 2026
‘His goal came from a great recovery from Fermin’
There will be no shortage of focus on Lamine Yamal, who scored his first hat-trick against Villarreal.
“The important thing is that the team is switched on. Lamine’s first goal came after a great recovery and a great pass from Fermin. Lamine has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. He had a great spell after that, but we need everyone.”
Diego Simeone: “Juan Musso is an important figure within the group and the dressing room. He brings energy from wherever he’s needed and offers far more than just what he provides as a goalkeeper.” pic.twitter.com/xrvkpBbdWE
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) March 2, 2026
Flick’s side will attempt the comeback at 21:00 CEST at Camp Nou on Tuesday night, with Atletico firm favourites to progress to the final. Real Sociedad hold a one-goal advantage going into to the second leg of their semi-final with Athletic Club.
