Barcelona starts off with an ideal start at Elche

Barcelona, led by German coach Hansi Flick, enter the competition and face Elche in the second round of La Liga, confident in their collective strength and their highly attacking philosophy that led to success in the past two seasons, thanks to the technical quality of Pedri and the genius of Lamine Yamal. To this cohesive system, which is built around the core of the Spanish national team that won the World Cup for the second time (Pau Cubarsí, Pedri, Olmo, Yamal), the Catalan club has added La Roja’s captain Rodri, whom they took from their arch-rival Real Madrid.

In his first league match of the season today on the road against Elche, Barcelona must rely on their other summer signings: English winger Anthony Gordon, German winger Karim Adeyemi, and young Belgian talent Jesse Bieseu (18 years old), to support Brazilian captain Raphinha.

Meanwhile, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick refused to comment on the subject of Julián Álvarez, after being asked about the player three times, insisting that he does not wish to discuss players who belong to other clubs.

Spanish midfielder Rodri, the 2026 World Cup winner and Barcelona’s standout signing during the summer transfer window, is not yet ready to return to competition and will not accompany the team to Elche for the start of their league campaign, according to his German coach Hansi Flick, who at the same time praised the efforts of new Egyptian arrival Hamza Abdelkrim.

On the other hand, Atlético Madrid remains in the shadow of the giants despite the large investments made over the past three years and its acquisition by the US investment fund Apollo Sports Capital. They are seeking a strong start today when they face Villarreal. Away from the big names, Diego Simeone’s team must show much greater consistency compared to last season if they want to genuinely compete with their rivals. Additionally, Argentine international striker Julián Álvarez, who is of interest to Barcelona, will return to Atlético Madrid’s squad to face Villarreal in the second round, as confirmed by his coach and compatriot Diego Simeone.

Simeone said at a press conference: “Julián? Yes, he will be in the squad, and he is in better shape. Of course, he is still in the process of regaining his fitness, like all his teammates.”

The Argentine striker was Barcelona’s top target to replace Polish forward Robert Lewandowski, but Atlético Madrid CEO Miguel Ángel Gil Marín considers Álvarez an unsellable player and refuses his transfer to their Catalan rival.

Álvarez had been omitted from Atlético’s squad for their first La Liga match against Málaga, after participating in only a limited number of training sessions following his late return from holiday, three weeks after losing the 2026 World Cup final to Spain. The 26-year-old striker faced whistles of disapproval from fans at the Metropolitano Stadium, and some supporters directed abuse at him, due to his publicly stated desire to leave the club.