Barcelonavs.Valencia

Pedri had been in line to continue in the middle of the Barcelona midfield against Los Che, but it has been confirmed by the Catalan giants that the Spain international is now unavailable for selection.

"First-team player Pedri misses today's game due to gastroenteritis," read a statement from the club.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Marc Bernal are long-term absentees for Barcelona, while Inigo Martinez is still on the sidelines with a muscular problem, and Dani Olmo is also not yet ready to feature.

Ansu Fati is included despite the speculation surrounding his future, while there is a spot for Andreas Christensen, who is being linked with Juventus and Manchester United in the latter stages of the winter transfer window.

Pedri will miss Valencia clash through illness

Barcelona will enter the contest off the back of a 5-4 victory over Benfica in the Champions League, which booked their spot in the knockout round of the competition with a game to spare.

However, the Catalan side are currently struggling in La Liga, winning just one of their last eight in the league, and they are currently third in the table, 10 points behind the leaders Real Madrid.

"We are well prepared for a more solid opponent in defence. It will be a tough game for us. It won't be easy," Flick told reporters during his pre-match press conference.

"For me, it's very important to win every game, we have to go out onto the pitch like that, how to approach the games. We have to manage the breaks, yes, but we'll see.

"We have to win the home games, also for the fans. In Getafe, it was our fault we didn't win. We have to improve our concentration from the start to the end of the match. That's what I want."

Which player will start in Pedri's absence?

With Pedri and Olmo both out, Flick has a decision to make when it comes to the number 10 spot, with Gavi likely to drop back into central midfield alongside Marc Casado.

There is the option to bring Frenkie de Jong into the team alongside Casado, with Gavi continuing further forward, but the Netherlands international is currently out of favour under Flick.

Fermin Lopez could ultimately be the player to benefit, with the Spaniard potentially featuring in the attacking three behind Robert Lewandowski, leaving Lamine Yamal and Raphinha in the wide areas.

Pablo Torre is also an option, although it is more likely that he could earn some minutes off the bench; the 21-year-old has four goals and three assists in 11 appearances this season, with three of those goals coming in La Liga.

Written by

Matt Law