Hansi Flick is weighing Xavi Espart for a midfield role in Barcelona's season opener against Elche, and the La Masia graduate looks well placed to get the nod on Sunday night. Espart, who first broke through in the 2025/2026 season as a defender, has spent preseason almost entirely in midfield and has put himself into the frame at the right moment.
That timing matters because Barcelona opens its campaign against Elche at 21.30 local time, with Pedri and Rodri both not fit. In that setting, Espart has emerged as a realistic option alongside Lamine Yamal and Marc Bernal, turning what looked like a long-term transition into an immediate selection question.
The 2007-born midfielder has already given Flick reasons to trust him. Espart made his Barcelona debut in the 2025/2026 season at Newcastle United in a 1-1 Champions League last 16 first leg draw, then went on to make six appearances for Flick that season. This summer, he has been used solely in midfield, and the change has been visible in how Barcelona has handled him. He impressed in last Sunday's 2-5 away win over Basel and also caught the eye in the Gamper against Al Ahly, reinforcing the sense that his best route into the side is no longer at the back.
That is the point Flick appears to have reached too. Espart's background has always pointed toward midfield — he came through La Masia in the Class of 2007, where he played there regularly — but Barcelona first used his versatility in defense before shifting him forward. The manager has also viewed him as the kind of adaptable player who can cover more than one role, which helps explain why his path to a starting spot has opened so quickly.
The one caveat is at the other end of the team sheet. Pau Cubarsi did not play any minutes in the Gamper, which leaves room for doubt over whether he is available despite talk of an all-Class-of-2007 starting group. Flick may simply have held him back as a precaution, but the absence of hard minutes means the defensive picture is not as settled as Espart's rise in midfield. If Cubarsi is not ready, the ripple effect could shape how much room Flick has to keep Espart in the center of the pitch rather than move him back if needed.
Barcelona kept the La Liga title in 2025/2026 and is starting this new campaign later than most because of the number of players it sent to the World Cup, so the opener carries more than ordinary weight. For Espart, Sunday night is the first real test of whether preseason has changed his place in the pecking order. If Flick backs him against Elche, it will be the clearest sign yet that the midfielder's new role is not a stopgap but the beginning of something larger.
