The title defense of Barcelona is put on display as the ‘Cules‘ face Elche in LaLiga‘s Matchday 2. However, one of their key players will not play, as Frenkie De Jong is not part of the squad for today.
De Jong is missing today’s match vs. Elche due to a tear in the MCL of his right knee. He suffered the injury during the 2026 World Cup. De Jong will be out for the foreseeable future.
De Jong opted for a more conservative medical treatment as opposed to undergoing surgery. Hence, he’ll be sidelined for multiple months, not just for this Elche game. In fact, his return timeline is expected to be around November.
Who will play instead of De Jong?
Instead of De Jong, players like Gavi, Marc Bernal or even a young prospect in Xavi Espart could take the field. It seems like manager Hansi Flick will have to lean towards in-house-grown talent. Elche vs. Barcelona will be broadcast in the USA.
Gavi is a man of his word 🩷💈
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 6, 2026
Promised to dye his hair pink and he delivered ✅ pic.twitter.com/CW5JKoloON
Marc Casado is nearing his exit from the club, and star signing Rodri is nursing an injury. Hence, the options are absolutely limited. Therefore, it might be a new time to shine for a young academy player.
Barcelona hasn’t played yet
Despite this being the Matchday 2, Barcelona are yet to debut in this LaLiga edition. Elche have already played one game this season and it was an away draw against Deportivo La Coruna.
As for Barcelona, this is the first game as they’ll face a much tougher test on August 27th against Athletic Club Bilbao. Hence, this match vs Elche could be seen as a tune-up game for Barcelona.
