Barcelona manager Hansi Flick hinted at a surprise in the starting lineup for the club's La Liga opener against Elche CF. The coach remained coy about the striker leading the attack, though he praised Hamza Abdelkarim, who became the top scorer in pre-season with four goals. Flick said, 'Abdelkarim has had an excellent pre-season and shown his potential.'
The German coach acknowledged the frontline crisis after losing Torres to PSG and Lewandowski to Chicago Fire. 'We haven't signed a traditional centre-forward this window,' he admitted. Flick also addressed potential defensive exits, noting, 'Changes might happen, and we'll have to wait until the transfer window closes.' Interest in Koundé, Balde, and Casadó remains high, with clubs like Arsenal, Bayern Munich, and Al-Hilal linked. The match against Elche will test the new attacking strategy.
