Frenkie de Jong

Following a brilliant performance against Newcastle United, Barcelona face Atlético Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals. However, coach Hansi Flick is dealing with significant absences, as Frenkie de Jong and Marc Bernal remain sidelined, forcing changes to the starting lineup. Throughout the 2025–26 season, Barcelona have managed to remain competitive, emerging as candidates to win the Champions League. For today’s match, Hansi Flick faces a difficult challenge, as he goes up against Atlético Madrid in the quarterfinals. However, they will do so without Marc Bernal and Frenkie de Jong, losing their two starting midfielders. With this in mind, they will be forced to make major changes to their starting lineup. After suffering an injury at the end of February, Frenkie de Jong has remained absent over Barcelona’s last eight matches. Although it seemed he would arrive in time, the Dutchman was unable to receive medical clearance, leaving him out of the first leg against Los Colchoneros. Nevertheless, he could get minutes against Espanyol, arriving in time for the second leg of the quarterfinals. While Marc Bernal was the ideal replacement for the Dutchman, he will also be out for the match against Atlético Madrid. In the previous game, he had to come off just minutes after entering the field, being diagnosed with an ankle sprain that will sideline him for 10 days. Although his recovery period is short, this rules him out of both legs of the Champions League. With this, they lose both of their starting midfielders. In the absence of Frenkie and Bernal, coach Hansi Flick could opt for Eric Garcia as a defensive midfielder. After regaining Jules Koundé, he could leave his position as a full-back and cover the absence of both stars. In addition, Marc Casadó could also play a key role off the bench, offering a more defensive and controlled profile. Nonetheless, the Blaugranas may still struggle to hold the control of the game. Marcus Rashford of FC Barcelona is challenged by Nahuel Molina of Atletico de Madrid. Frenkie and Bernal’s absence could boost Dani Olmo starting role Hansi Flick has managed to establish dominance in midfield, relying on Frenkie de Jong or Marc Bernal. With them on the field, Barcelona have been able to gain a privileged control of the ball due to their great vision of play, while maintaining defensive solidity. Therefore, the absence of both midfielders would justify the presence of Dani Olmo as a forward/false 9, as it would balance the build-up and the fluidity of play for the Blaugranas. Although Eric Garcia or Marc Casadó have delivered solid performances, they do not offer the same offensive contribution for Barcelona. With this, coach Hansi Flick could rely on the pairing of Dani Olmo and Fermín López as key pieces, looking to provide constant support to the midfield. Additionally, this could open spaces for Marcus Rashford and Lamine Yamal to play on the wings, posing a constant threat to Atlético Madrid. Along with this, the presence of Dani Olmo has already proven to be decisive in opening spaces against Los Colchoneros. Moving constantly and supporting Fermin Lopez, he manages to attract opposing defenders, opening spaces behind them. Moreover, he manages to generate numerical superiority in all offensive actions, allowing them to sustain possession longer and have more attacking opportunities.

There’s some huge Champions League quarter finals on Wednesday as holders PSG host Liverpool and there’s an all Spanish tie between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. And talkSPORT BET have…

Real Madrid missed the chance to go five points clear as they fell to a shock 2-1 defeat at Osasuna, their first league loss under Alvaro Arbeloa in six games. We look at an encouraging display from Trent Alexander-Arnold off the bench, Vinicius Jr's continued scoring run, and whether the defending champions can respond after surrendering top spot. Barcelona took full advantage, returning to the top with a convincing 3-0 win over Levante. We discuss Frenkie de Jong's first goal in 13 months and what this means for the title race with just 13 games to go. Atletico Madrid bounced back from their recent poor run with a 4-2 win over Espanyol. Ademola Lookman continued his flying start with four goals in six games. We ask if this can be the springboard for a consistent run from Diego Simeone's side. Join The Players Lounge: The official fantasy football club of The Rest Is Football. It’s time to take on Gary, Alan and Micah for the chance to win monthly prizes and shoutouts on the pod. It’s FREE to join and as a member, you’ll get access to exclusive tips from Fantasy Football Hub including AI-powered team ratings, transfer tips, and expert team reveals to help you climb the table - plus access to our private Slack community. Sign up today at therestisfootball.com. https://therestisfootball.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=episode_description&utm_content=link_cta For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last week Kylian Mbappe told Paris Saint Germain of his decision to leave the club at the end of the season with Real Madrid the expected destination but as their superstar departs, what next for PSG? Ayo Akinwolere is joined by French football writer and broadcaster Tom Williams and The Athletic's Carl Anka to analyse what comes next for Mbappe as well as the direction the French champions head in next. The panel assess what options will be open to PSG in the transfer market with the likes of Victor Osimhen, Frenkie De Jong and Rafael Leao all being linked with Luis Enrique's side following Mbappe's decision. Produced by Guy Clarke Executive Producer: Adey Moorhead Related articles: Who should PSG sign to replace Kylian Mbappe? - The Athletic Kylian Mbappe is leaving, so what next for Paris Saint-Germain? - The Athletic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paul is here with the latest episode of Redmen Bitesize as he discusses the rumours that Barcelona are reportedly interested in signing Luis Diaz. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's Andy Mitten, Carl Anka, Pol Ballús to discuss Manchester United's interest in Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong . How close did United get last season? Could they go for him again? Is he still a player they actually need? Would he be allowed to leave? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A reluctant but thorough preview of one of the strangest tournaments ever. Buckle up and get ready for this year’s edition of a tournament we’ve been raised to love. A (GROUP A) While it looks like a walk in the park for the Dutch, each side’s unique style could make every match a tough adjustment.…

Mark Chapman is joined by the Athletic's Jack Pitt-Brooke and our Chelsea correspondent Liam Twomey to reflect on Sunday's chastening defeat at Elland Road for Tuchel's side, and bring you insight on whether this result will hasten Chelsea's transfer pursuit for the likes of Aubameyang, Fofana, Anthony Gordon and even Frenkie De Jong. We're also joined by the Athletic's Manchester United writer Carl Anka as Casemiro is set to be the latest big-money star signing to arrive at Old Trafford, but will he be the difference maker that they so badly need? Plus there's a look at Man Utd's continued interest in Brazilian winger Antony, after he was left out of Ajax's fixture at the weekend. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's David Ornstein, Adam Crafton & Laurie Whitwell to discuss Manchester United's pursuit of Adrien Rabiot from Juventus & Marko Arnautovic from Bologna.. David exclusively reveals a huge story from his weekly column that Barcelona told Frenkie de Jong that they have evidence of criminality around contract given by old board and cause for legal action vs all involved. We are also joined by our Aston Villa writer Gregg Evans after a disappointing start to the season for Steven Gerrard - will he get to spend the money from the sale of Carney Chukwuemeka. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Deal or no deal returns as Phil Egan talks through transfer rumours with Nathan Murphy and Johnny Ward. Catch OTB's sports breakfast show LIVE weekday mornings from 7:30am or just search for OTB AM and get the podcast on the OTB Sports app or wherever you listen to yours. SUBSCRIBE and FOLLOW the OTB AM podcast. #OTBAM is live weekday mornings from 7:30am across Off The Ball, in association with Gillette | #EffortlessFlow