Big FC Barcelona Star Receives Shock Omission From Valencia ...

One of FC Barcelona's biggest first team stars has been omitted from the Matchday 1 squad list by ... [+] Hansi Flick, which has caused surprise among some fans and onlookers.

One of FC Barcelona's biggest first team stars has been omitted from the La Liga Matchday 1 squad list by head coach Hansi Flick, which has caused surprise among some fans and onlookers.

Ilkay Gundogan was expected to start against Valencia in the Mestalla late on Saturday night in Spain.

As part of a 4-2-3-1, the German should have been primed to act as a central midfield figure in front of pivots Marc Bernal and Casado, with wingers Raphinha and Lamine Yamal to his left and right respectively.

With just nine and a half hours to spare until kick off, however, approaching midday in Catalonia, Barca published its squad list for the opening match of the season and Gundogan's name raised eyebrows by not being included.

The development immediately led to conclusions that the veteran might be on the exit ramp, as, alongside Clement Lenglet linked with a move to Atletico Madrid, he is the only exclusion that it was thought was fit enough to star against Valencia.

Flick has already confirmed that new $60 million signing Dani Olmo, bought from RB Leipzig a week ago, is not in a good enough physical condition to make the squad list after a gruelling summer which involved him joint-winning the Golden Boot and helping Spain seal the Euros.

There was no mention that Flick's former captain for the German national team, which was knocked out of the Euros by Spain at the quarter-final stage, had not been given the green light as per Gundogan, however.

As explained by Gerard Romero, though, who cited anonymous sources on X, he has been told that 'Gundo' is out because of the blow to the eyebrow he received in Barca's 3-0 loss to AS Monaco in the Joan Gamper Trophy match on Monday.

Yet on the contrary, RAC1 journalist Marta Ramon Gorina believes that the decision is a ploy to put pressure on Gundogan to leave and free up Financial Fair Play leg room.

Though Pedri could make a surprise, ahead-of-schedule comeback from an injury he picked up in that Spain-Germany match at some stage of the proceedings, it would be madness to already introduce him to the first XI at Gundogan's expense.

An impressive star of Barca's recently-completed preseason tour of the United States could step up instead in Pablo Torre, while the likes of Fermin Lopez, Gavi and Frenkie de Jong are currently unavailable.