Welcome to the latest edition of Inside Barcelona, our weekly series to follow throughout La Liga’s 2025-26 season.
We will bring you key information and analysis on the biggest talking points in and around the Camp Nou, cutting through the noisy world of all things Barca with reporting you can trust.
The information contained in this article reflects multiple conversations with various sources at the Spanish champions, all of whom wanted to speak anonymously to protect relationships.
What’s the biggest talking point at Barcelona right now?
“When would you rather win La Liga — next weekend or in El Clasico,” a journalist asked coach Hansi Flick at his press conference after Barcelona’s 2-0 win against Getafe this weekend.
After their Champions League quarter-final exit at the hands of Atletico Madrid — a title which had been the squad’s main objective — all that is left for Flick’s side now is to seemingly wait to be crowned champions of Spain for a second year in a row. Real Madrid’s draw with Real Betis on Friday night and Barca’s win against Getafe widened the gap between the two to 11 points.
That means Barca could secure the title as early as next Sunday if they beat Osasuna on Saturday and Madrid fail to beat Espanyol in Barcelona on Sunday. If Alvaro Arbeloa’s side pick up all three points there, Barca will win La Liga regardless by beating Madrid in El Clasico on Sunday, May 10.
So, do Barca want Real Madrid to give them a guard of honour as champions at the Camp Nou, or would they prefer to seal the title against their fiercest rivals?
There are other motivations left, too. Flick’s team could reach 100 points if they win all their remaining matches. That would equal the joint-record set by Tito Vilanova’s 2012-13 Barca team, matching Jose Mourinho’s 2011-12 Real Madrid side.
The 2012-13 season also saw another Barca landmark which Flick could look to match this term: fielding 11 players from La Masia, the club’s famed youth academy, at the same time.
Hansi Flick’s side look set to retain their title from last season (Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
How did Barcelona do without Yamal?
Lamine Yamal’s season-ending hamstring injury last week was a real blow, even if the 18-year-old is expected to be fit for the start of the World Cup.
Barca now have to finish the season without their most influential and important attacking player in a campaign in which their other forwards have struggled to score.
The big question before Saturday’s game was who would fill Yamal’s role. Roony Bardghji was the natural choice and Flick opted for the 20-year-old Swedish winger in the first half. He now has the chance to make his mark in Barca’s remaining five matches.
Roony has spent the season in Yamal’s shadow, making just eight starts. He played well without scoring against Getafe before being replaced in the second half by Marcus Rashford, who played off the right and scored Barca’s second. But the on-loan Manchester United forward is not Flick’s first choice on the wing when Raphinha, who is still out with a hamstring injury, and Yamal are absent. The Athletic has reported that Barca’s interest in retaining Rashford after his loan spell ends this summer has cooled.
This time, the German went for four midfielders: with Gavi and Pedri in the middle — Frenkie de Jong being benched was a surprise — Fermin Lopez on the left wing and Dani Olmo behind Robert Lewandowski.
Fermin, who has worn a face mask since his clash with Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Juan Musso in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie, showed he remains an essential player for Barca with his goal in first-half stoppage time.
Fermin Lopez celebrates his goal against Getafe (Javier Soriano/AFP via Getty Images)
What else did we learn from Saturday’s game?
Getafe’s Coliseum Alfonso Perez has proved to be a tough ground for Barcelona since 2019. That was the last time they had won there, suffering one defeat and four draws. Madrid-based Getafe have the second-lowest goals-per-game average in La Liga, behind bottom-placed Real Oviedo, yet sit sixth and are in a European spot.
Flick was aware of what lay in store for his team and asked them to play a more pragmatic game than usual. They controlled the match and made few mistakes to stop Getafe from getting in behind their defence.
Pau Cubarsi was back to his best, as was Pedri, who appeared to have lost some of his characteristic spark in recent matches following his return from a hamstring injury.
Flick’s team kept another clean sheet and maintained concentration throughout — something which had been lacking at times this season. They scored from their two clearest chances and Flick could reflect on a job well done.
What might we have missed? What should we look out for?
Once La Liga is out of the way, Barcelona’s attention will turn to the transfer market. They need to clarify the future of Robert Lewandowski, whose contract expires in June with his next move unclear.
The club wanted to offer the 37-year-old Polish striker reduced terms with a secondary role while Lewandowski was waiting to see what the club’s sporting directors would offer him. But everything has been put on hold until the league is decided.
Other matters still to be addressed are the club’s search for a centre-forward, Flick’s contract renewal — his current deal runs until June 2027 but he has publicly said he will renew — and the need for a left-sided centre-back. They also need to clarify their goalkeeper situation, with a surplus of players in that position.
All this, of course, will come with the usual soap opera around Barcelona each summer, as they try to operate normally in the transfer market under La Liga’s salary limit rules. Barca are still overspending on their limit so are unable to spend a euro in the transfer market for every euro they generate in sales (known as the 1:1 rule in Spain).
Aside from that, voices within the club remain concerned about the team’s fitness and the high number of injuries they have suffered this season, which many say affected their Champions League campaign. They have regularly been without key players and had little scope for rotation before crucial matches. It remains to be seen what kind of changes occur as a consequence behind the scenes once the season ends.
