Hansi Flick has opted to start summer signing Dominik Livaković in goal for Barcelona against Sevilla on Saturday night in La Liga after losing Joan Garcia to a knee injury.
The Barcelona boss had backed Wojciech Szczęsny ahead of the game but has left the veteran Pole on the bench for the match at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan.
Speaking ahead of kick-off, Flick says the team needed a change in goal.
“They’re very aggressive. With the atmosphere in this stadium. We remember last year. We have to be prepared,” he said. “We analyzed everything and thought we needed to make a change in goal, and we did.”
Flick has also kept Joao Cancelo at left-back instead of Xavi Espart and replaced Karim Adeyemi with Anthony Gordon. The Barcelona boss offered up a few explanations for his starting XI.
“Cancelo and Espart are very evenly matched. It’s a difficult decision, but today we decided on this starting eleven. You have to have options to change the game,” he added.
“Adeyemi and Gordon are playing the way we want. Karim is quicker, but Anthony is fast and gives us more control. In games like today’s, that’s important.”
“In the end, we have to play our game. We know what to expect, but we’re focused on ourselves.”
Barcelona are aiming to maintain their perfect start to the season against Sevilla in the team’s final match before the international break.
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