Barcelona is already assured of their place in the last 16 of the Champions League, but a victory in Atalanta next week would mean a top 2 finish in the competition phase, which would also guarantee extra prize money for the financial-framing Catalan giants.
Although theoretically they have nothing to play outside of this, it is unlikely that Hansi Flick will take the game on Wednesday lightly. Barcelona would finish the top of the classification of the competition if Liverpool would lose at PSV Eindhoven, so they will want to take advantage of slip-ups from the Premier League leaders.
Nevertheless, it is likely that Flick will make some changes, such as Andreas Christensen, Frenkie de Jong and Ferran Torres that insist on more playing time. Dani Olmo would also have been in the mix, but that will no longer be the case.
Olmo missed Barcelona's 5-4 victory over Benfica in midweek after a muscular injury during training, and he will not be risked against Valencia on Sunday. It has also been reported that the Atalanta match will also come too early for the 26-year-old midfielder.
Barcelona will not take any risks with OLMO, given his poor injury record in recent years. The idea is that he is available for next Sunday's match against Alaves, although that depends on whether he will recover sufficiently in the coming week.
Flick has sufficient coverage for Olmo, which is why Barcelona can afford to do things slowly with his reintegration. Gavi has been in good shape in recent weeks, while Fermin Lopez and Pablo Torre are also options available for the German head coach. Nevertheless, it will be frustrating not to have the Spanish international available, especially since there is doubts about whether his registration will be until the end of the season.
Comments