Flick rules out experimenting in key position ahead of Copa del Rey final vs Real Madrid | OneFootball

Barcelona will square off against arch-rivals Real Madrid in the finals of the Copa del Rey on Saturday at Estadio de La Cartuja in Seville.

Having already beaten Carlo Ancelotti’s men twice this season, the Blaugrana will go into the game as favourites even though Hansi Flick will be without some key players in Robert Lewandowski and Alejandro Balde.

No experiments

Leading up to the game, SPORT reports that Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has made it clear he will not play anyone out of position in Saturday’s Copa del Rey final.

With several injuries in the squad, the German coach intends to maintain positional consistency in a match of such importance.

Along with Balde and Lewandowski, Marc Bernal and Marc Casado are also sidelined. Initially, there was hope that the left-back could return in time for this weekend’s El Clasico, but his recovery has not progressed quickly enough.

Although he attempted to train this morning, Balde has not recovered in time. His absence is a blow to Flick, who is targeting a treble this season. Saturday’s final is the first step towards that goal.

Gerard Martin to replace Balde

Gerard Martin will start vs Real Madrid. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

With Balde unavailable, Flick has chosen Gerard Martin to start at left-back in the final, where he will be tasked with containing Rodrygo.

Martin has been the natural replacement for Balde throughout the season and was rested in the last league match vs Mallorca to be fresh for the final.

Another potential replacement is Hector Fort, although the Barcelona native has not featured much under Flick.

While he usually plays on the right, he has shown he can adapt to the left side, as seen last Tuesday and in several appearances under former manager Xavi Hernández.

There is also the possibility of using someone like Inigo Martinez, Ronald Araujo or Eric Garcia in the role.

However, given the importance of the match, Flick is unwilling to take risks by fielding players out of position.