Rodri Debut Delayed as Barca Prep for Elche | MLS News

Barcelona’s World Cup-winning star Rodri won’t debut this Sunday despite his four-year arrival — he’s still recovering from back surgery and hasn’t trained with the squad yet, but Flick expects him to join Monday and possibly start Thursday against Athletic Club. While Rodri’s delayed, other World Cup heroes like Yamal and Pedri are available for Sunday’s opener against Elche, alongside new signings Cancelo and Adeyemi. Flick insists no excuses — even World Cup players will be managed carefully, not playing full 90 minutes. Despite missing key pieces, Barcelona’s depth and form make them heavy favorites to dominate Elche in their La Liga opener. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/b1bfce0600a4dc90