MADRID, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- FC Barcelona kicks off its La Liga title defense with a visit to a much-changed Elche side on Sunday night.
Barcelona enters the game with new signings Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi on the wings, Spain international midfielder Rodrigo Hernandez, and defender Joao Cancelo, who has returned to the club on a permanent deal following a successful loan spell in the second half of last season.
There is still no replacement for either Robert Lewandowski or Ferran Torres, which means coach Hansi Flick probably will not have a specialist central striker in his starting 11.
Fermin Lopez has offered to play as a false 'number 9', with Lamine Yamal, Gordon, Adeyemi and Raphinha providing options in a mobile forward line.
Hamza Abdelkarim's strong displays and goalscoring form in preseason have earned him a place in the first-team squad, with talks underway over an improved contract for the 18-year-old Egyptian forward, who joined on a permanent deal at the start of the summer.
It remains to be seen how many minutes players such as Yamal, Gordon, Pedri, Jules Kounde and Eric Garcia will be able to play after the World Cup, while any involvement from Rodrigo and Cancelo is likely to be limited after they have had hardly any training.
That could give young defender Xavi Espart a chance to play after impressing in preseason. ■
