FC Barcelona is set to start their 2024/25 campaign by playing the season opener against Valencia at Mestalla. Coming on the back of 2 straight losses, the Blaugrana club would surely want to turn their fate tonight, trying to get hold of the complete 3 points out of the first fixture. While Barca enter the matchday being the favorites, Valencia can't be ruled out as being one of the most exciting La Liga clubs; the team possesses the ability to produce significant shocks.
However, being Flick's debut game as FC Barcelona's boss, the German manager wouldn't want to settle for anything less than a win. Having a catalog of star players like Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Lewandowski, Ilkay Gundogan, and Marc Casado, Flick would try his best to reciprocate his wordings and perform his best in the Valencia game. On that note, here's a look at the 3 Barcelona players who could be key for FC Barcelona against Valencia: -
Marc Casado
Coming on the back of an incredible US preseason tour, the pivot midfielder has established his roots well within the club with his initial performances. Be it the game against Man City, Real Madrid, or AC Milan, the midfielder has impressed both on the holding end and his free runs in the attacking arena. Accounted for by his emergence as one of the most dependable players in the Barcelona camp for the role, Casado's name stood as a no-brainer for Flick in the XI against Valencia.
Expected to pair up against the experienced defensive midfielder Christensen, the duo's participation in the fixture would be crucial. As a conventional holding man, Christensen would mainly account for the defensive duties, meaning the responsibility for initiating the attacks would be on Casado, making him an important asset for Barca in the fixture.