Mundo Deportivo: Barcelona's center forward remains unstoppable; Rafinha may play as a number 9 in the first La Liga match.

According to Diario Sport, Barcelona will begin their title defense against Elche at the Martinez Valero Stadium. The biggest question surrounding Hans Flick's first official starting lineup for the 2026/27 season is who will play the number 9 position. The German coach experimented with various attacking options during preseason and now must make a decision.

Hamza Abdulkarim started in all the friendlies except for the Basel tour. Rafinha, who played as a number 9 against the Swiss team, played as a winger in the Gamper Trophy. Oscar Gisto (Birmingham), Shane Kluivert (Udinese), and Anthony Gordon (Ahly) also saw playing time as a center forward. One thing was common in all five matches: Karim Adyemi, who had been training under Flick since July 24, had never played in that position, and his arrival just before the team's training camp in England.

Against this backdrop (Gistau and Shane Kluivert are currently training with the reserve team), Barcelona are about to make their league debut with three outstanding options in the squad, as well as some surprising alternatives.

The Brazilian player initially joined Barcelona as a right winger, but a few years later he blossomed on the left wing (where Xavi first deployed him, and Flick subsequently continued this arrangement). Now, depending on the final changes in the transfer market, he may switch to a center forward position. If Julian Alvarez fails to join, and Deco chooses a promising young player rather than a seasoned veteran as Plan B, then the captain may take on a new role in the team.

Judging from Flick's previous arrangements, although he again placed Rafinha on the left wing in the Gamper Trophy match, it would be a reasonable choice to have Rafinha play as a "number 9" against Elche. In this scenario, Anthony Gordon would be a substitute winger, and the possibility of Adyemi starting cannot be ruled out. Adyemi has spent almost all his playing time on the right wing since joining Barcelona, but Ramin Yamar occupying that position might prevent him from playing. Among the aforementioned players, the German is currently the most well-prepared for the match.

When Barcelona signed this English player, his versatility in attack was one of the key factors emphasized. Like Rafinha, Gordon's natural position is left winger. However, Gordon has much more experience as a center forward. He had previously represented England in the World Cup, reaching the semi-finals, and therefore started preseason training late, but he had already earned playing time as a center forward in the Gamper Trophy. He performed well and even won a penalty, which he ultimately failed to convert.

If Flick deploys the English player as the center forward, then barring any unforeseen circumstances, his two attacking partners will be Ramin Yamar (right) and Rafinha (left). They are the only two remaining members of the attacking trident, as Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres both left this summer.

It would be irresponsible to not consider a player who scored four goals in the preseason and became the team's top scorer for his league debut. The Barcelona coach has repeatedly proven his willingness to trust young players, and this Egyptian player has responded to the opportunity given to him with outstanding performances in the preseason. Except for one match, he started as Barcelona's center forward in all other warm-up games. He has clearly demonstrated through his performances that he is ready to take on the challenge.

In this scenario, Rafinha and Gordon will compete for Hamza's left-sided position, while Ramin Yamar is the frontrunner for the right wing, and Adyemi will wait for his chance.

Besides these options, Barcelona have a few less likely choices in their quest for victory at the Martinez Valero Stadium. Lamin Yamal will eventually move centrally, but that seems premature now, as the club doesn't want him to skip his developmental stage. In the short term, Dani Olmo is indeed more likely to play as a false 9, but the player from Ega only played a short time in preseason and his form against Elche was less than ideal.

Finally, Fermín López recently expressed his willingness to play the number 9 position in an interview. At least based on the first league match, all indications suggest that he will be playing as an attacking midfielder in Barcelona's starting lineup.