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Rodri was Barca's marquee signing this summer, joining for a reported €76.5m (£65.4m) from Manchester City after a stellar World Cup campaign.

The 30 year-old captained Spain to its second World Cup triumph, while he also won the Golden Ball award at the tournament.

Pedri also featured for La Roja this summer, but lost his place in Luis de la Fuente's starting line-up to Paris Saint-Germain's Fabian Ruiz.

Nevertheless, both Rodri and Pedri are set to line up together for Barca against Athletic, with Flick looking forward to their midfield partnership.

"The plan is for him to play a few minutes," Flick said. "Rodri has more experience and is a true leader. With Pedri, we'll be able to control the game and possession.

"Against Elche, we lost the ball too quickly, and when Pedri came on, the game changed. We controlled possession much more, and that's what we need.

"Rodri is one of the best, and we'll see what he and Pedri can do together. I'm eager to see them play together at Barca. They'll be at a top level."

Barca's interest in Julian Alvarez has also reignited over the last week, with club president Joan Laporta reiterating its desire to bring the Argentine forward to Camp Nou.

Flick refused to be drawn into the transfer saga, with Atletico Madrid once again voicing its displeasure at Barca's approach to the transfer.

"I don't want to talk about Julian; I want to talk about the club's situation," Flick said. "We've made some very good signings. The club needs to think about the future. As the coach, I demand the best and more, but then it might work out or it might not.

"I have confidence in the team, and we'll have to manage things, find solutions for some matches. But our quality is enormous."