"Has me stressing", "What is Flick cooking" - Fans unhappy with star's inclusion in Barcelona XI as they return to Camp Nou to face Athletic Club

Barcelona fans online were left unhappy with Gerard Martin's inclusion in their starting XI to face Athletic Club in LaLiga. This match marks Barca's return to their home stadium, Camp Nou, after it remained closed for two seasons for renovation.

Hansi Flick's starting XI includes quite a few surprise additions and is far from Barcelona's strongest lineup. Joan Garcia starts at the goal, marking his return from injury. The backline includes Alejandro Balde, Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin, and Jules Kounde. Martin is a surprise addition, despite the availability of Ronald Araujo.

Meanwhile, Eric Garcia, Fermin Lopez, and Dani Olmo form the midfield, despite Garcia usually being in the defence. The attack features Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, and Ferran Torres. Marcus Rashford is unavailable as he is suffering from the flu. However, Raphinha is expected to come off the bench, marking his return from a long-time hamstring injury.

Fans took to X to react to Barcelona's starting XI, expressing their doubts about Gerard Martin as a centre-back. Martin is usually employed as a left back when Balde is unavailable. One Culer wrote:

"Gerard Martin at CB has me stressin'. Him and Kounde are definitely playing someone on at least a few times."

Some other fan comments were:

Fans continued to share their thoughts on Gerard Martin:

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Barcelona president Joan Laporta shares thoughts as the Catalans return to Camp Nou

Camp Nou - Source: Getty

Barcelona's clash against Athletic Club at home marks a major milestone, as it is the first game played at the Spotify Camp Nou after it reopened this month. The stadium was closed due to renovation for more than two years, starting in May 2023. It has now reopened with partial capacity.

In an interview with Catalunya Radio, president Joan Laporta shared details about the historic return, and said (via Barca Universal):

"Well… the stadium is still under construction. Today, we will see the 1957 stadium. The lower stands are ready, and work on the north stand is continuing, so people will see the main stand, the south stand, and the side stand. We have a ‘preliminary use’ license, which allows us to open these areas."

The next step will be to acquire the C1 license, which will enable Barcelona to open the north stand. Laporta plans to do so by the end of this year. The third grandstand is expected to open by the end of 2026. Reports suggest that one of the oldest members of the club will do the honorary kick-off in the game.

This also marks the first time many of the current squad players will play at the Camp Nou, including Pau Cubarsi, Dani Olmo, Fermin Lopez, Gerard Martin, and Joan Garcia from the starting XI tonight.

Edited by Pratyasha Sarkar