Barcelona are back in La Liga action on Sunday with a visit from strugglers Cadiz.
Xavi’s side are on a monster unbeaten run but may have to rely on a rotated side here for a fixture which is sandwiched between two cruch Europa League clashes with Manchester United, the first of which ended in a 2-2 draw at Camp Nou.
Here’s how the boss could set up.
GK: Marc-Andre ter Stegen – The German has kept four straight clean sheets in La Liga and will be confident of reaching five.
RB: Sergi Roberto – With Ronald Araujo suspended, options are limited at right-back and so Roberto could make his return to the starting lineup.
CB: Andreas Christensen – Christensen has been an integral part of the current run and Xavi would be wise to avoid removing him from the starting lineup.
CB: Marcos Alonso – He’s not a centre-back but Alonso, who scored against Man Utd, deserves another run-out in this central role.
LB: Alejandro Balde – Balde didn’t start against Man Utd and that could mean he gets the nod here.
DM: Frenkie de Jong – Xavi has teased the return of Sergio Busquets but the veteran midfielder might only get minutes off the bench, with a start against Man Utd more likely.
CM: Franck Kessie – It was a surprise to see Kessie start the Europa League tie but the imminent return of Busquets might relegate him back to the bench in the near future.
CM: Gavi – The indefatigable Gavi fills in wherever he is asked to. A hectic fixture schedule shouldn’t be a problem for him.
RW: Raphinha – His strop after being substituted last time out has already been forgotten so expect Raphinha to start again.
ST: Robert Lewandowski – It would be brave of Xavi to rest his star striker, so Lewandowski will likely get about an hour of this one.
LW: Ferran Torres – Torres is still trying to force his way back into the starting lineup and games like this provide an excellent chance for him to steal the spotlight.
