Livakovic debuts for Barcelona at Sevilla as Flick reshapes lineup

Barcelona started Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic in his La Liga debut against Sevilla on Saturday, September 19, at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán stadium. Manager Hansi Flick made the surprise decision to field Livakovic over Polish veteran Wojciech Szczęsny, despite initially backing Szczęsny after Spanish goalkeeper Joan García suffered a right knee injury during Barcelona's previous 7–2 win over Racing Santander on Wednesday.

Flick explained the tactical choice by referencing Sevilla's aggressive playing style and the hostile atmosphere at the stadium. "They're very aggressive. With the atmosphere in this stadium, we have to be prepared," Flick said. "We analyzed everything and thought we needed to make a change in goal, and we did." Livakovic, who joined Barcelona from Fenerbahce in late August on a deal worth €2 million plus €0.5 million in variables through June 2030, was originally intended as second-choice goalkeeper but has now appeared for the club this season.

Beyond the goalkeeper change, Flick introduced three other alterations to the starting XI compared to the Racing match: Pau Cubarsí returned to the defence, Fermín López replaced Dani Olmo in midfield, and Anthony Gordon started on the left wing in place of Karim Adeyemi. Joao Cancelo retained his position at left-back. Flick noted the balance between available options: "Cancelo and Espart are very evenly matched. You have to have options to change the game. Adeyemi and Gordon are playing the way we want. Karim is quicker, but Anthony is fast and gives us more control. In games like today's, that's important."

Barcelona's starting XI: Livakovic; Eric García, Pau Cubarsí, Andreas Christensen, Joao Cancelo; Pedri, Rodri, Fermín López; Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Anthony Gordon.

Sevilla, managed by Luis García Plaza, made three changes from their 1–0 win over Deportivo: Arouna Sangante replaced injured defender Kike Salas, Giorgi Kochorashvili came in for Jon Guridi, and Scottish forward Robbie Ure started for injured Belgian Lucas Stassin. Barcelona entered the match seeking to maintain their unbeaten record before the international break.