Concern at Barça: the reason for De Jong's absence against Atlético

FC Barcelona will look to storm the Riyadh Air Metropolitano with all their 'weapons'... or with 'almost' all of them. Hansi Flick lined up against Atlético de Madrid with what is starting to settle as his first-choice eleven for this decisive stretch of the season, but he was forced to make a change in the midfield. Marc Casadó returns to the starting lineup in the pivot position instead of Frenkie de Jong, who dropped out of the list at the last minute.

This was confirmed by the coach himself in the pre-match press conference to 'DAZN', where he revealed that "Frenkie wasn't feeling quite well and it's better for him to stay on the bench". According to several reports, the Dutchman suffered an intestinal issue that prevented him from dressing up. In fact, the player will not even be on the bench, meaning the Catalans lose a significant option in the midfield.

An 'golden' opportunity for Marc Casadó

With this situation, the stage is set for Marc Casadó to step up and begin to regain the ground he has lost in recent weeks. The academy player will start again after being a substitute in the two round of 16 matches of the Champions League against Benfica. Previously, he had been a starter against Real Sociedad and would have done the same against Osasuna before the match was suspended due to the passing of doctor Miñarro.

In his appearance before the clash against the colchoneros, Flick stated that he expects "a great match from Casadó". This Sunday will be the second time the midfielder is part of the starting eleven of Barça against Atlético. The first time was on December 21, when the culés were defeated by the rojiblancos in Montjuïc (1-2) during matchday 18 of LaLiga. This March 16, the player has a 'golden' opportunity to claim his revenge and make a statement in his fight for a starting position.