Barcelona Prepare Rodri for Rayo Vallecano Match

Barcelona were back at full throttle on Saturday morning, but all eyes drifted to the one player who wasn’t out on the grass for the full session.

Two days before Rayo Vallecano visit the Spotify Camp Nou in the third round of the 2026-27 La Liga season, Hansi Flick put his squad through their paces at the Tito Vilanova pitch in the Joan Gamper training complex. The work started early, at 9:30 a.m., with the full first-team group available.

Almost.

Rodri, the World Cup-winning midfielder and one of the headline arrivals of the summer, followed his own plan. As reported by Spanish outlet Sport, he stayed in the gym and trained away from the main group, continuing the individual programme the club designed for him on his arrival.

Rodri handled with care after World Cup heroics

Rodri’s Barcelona debut against Athletic Bilbao came with a statement: sharp on the ball, commanding in midfield, and immediately influential. The impression was strong, the expectations even stronger.

But since he landed in Barcelona, the club have been careful. He has only taken part in a limited number of collective sessions, with the medical and physiotherapy staff intent on building his match rhythm step by step rather than throwing him straight into the deep end.

Inside the club, there is no alarm. Quite the opposite. The message from the dressing room and the staff is one of total calm over his physical condition. Rodri is fit to contribute and clearly central to Flick’s long-term blueprint. The caution stems from context, not concern.

He returned from his holidays only a few days ago, carrying the physical and emotional load of having led Spain to World Cup glory. Barcelona know exactly what they have in their hands and are determined not to burn him out in late August.

The plan is simple: no rush, no risks.

Rodri is expected to be available for Flick’s squad against Rayo on Monday, but a starting role is unlikely at this stage. The club intend to phase him in, managing his minutes and letting his rhythm grow inside competitive matches rather than demanding 90 minutes from the off.

Livaković settles in, absentees remain

While Rodri worked separately, the rest of the group went through a standard pre-match build-up session under Flick’s gaze. Every fit first-team player trained, including Dominik Livaković, Barcelona’s newest signing, who completed his second workout as a Barça player.

The Croatian goalkeeper is already being integrated into the daily routines, learning Flick’s demands and the defensive mechanisms in front of him. His presence adds fresh competition and another layer of intrigue to the early weeks of the season.

The injury list, though, has not changed. Gavi was the only absentee from the main first-team group, still sidelined as he continues his recovery. He was joined on the unavailable list by long-term casualties Frenkie de Jong and Roony Bardghji.

So Barcelona head into Monday night with a near-complete squad, a new goalkeeper settling in, and a World Cup-winning midfielder being carefully brought up to full speed. The question now is not whether Rodri will define Flick’s project, but how quickly Barcelona dare to let him take control of it.