Memphis Depay will start, but Robert Lewandowski will earn some rest when Barcelona and Intercity Sant Joan d’ Alacant face off on Wednesday.
Barcelona will look to progress to the Round of 16 of the Copa del Rey when they lock horns with Intercity Sant Joan d’ Alacant at Estadio Jose Rico Perez on Wednesday night. And Xavi Hernandez has rested two first-team players ahead of his side’s latest game.
Robert Lewandowski and Pedri have not travelled to Alicante as they get some rest. But Xavi has a full-strength unit otherwise, with the squad featuring Inaki Pena and Pablo Torre apart from the regulars. In addition, Pena is officially a first-team player for Barcelona.
Xavi spoke about the decision to rest Pedri and Lewandowski, citing the fixture pile-up. During his pre-match press conference, the Barcelona boss said, “He [Lewandowski] stays out because he is carrying a lot of load and because we are confident that he can continue with the precautionary measure and play against Atletico Madrid. So, rest for him and Pedri.”
Xavi has also confirmed that he will rotate his troops on Wednesday. In addition, he took some time to address the situations surrounding Ronald Araujo and Pablo Torre. He said, “The idea is to rotate and give minutes to players who haven’t played for a long time, such as Eric and Araujo.”
“He [Araujo] is one hundred per cent. He will start tomorrow and help us with his leadership, with his aggressiveness. He [Torre] is a first-team player and will have important minutes tomorrow. When he doesn’t play, he knows that he can drop down to the reserve team.”
Jules Kounde and Eric Garcia should pair up at the heart of the Barcelona defence. So Araujo might get some minutes off the bench to build up his fitness. Hector Bellerin and Jordi Alba will likely feature as the full-backs, with the latter suspended for the next league game. Inaki Pena will make a rare start between the sticks on Wednesday.
As for the midfield unit, Sergio Busquets will sit at the base and look to set a quick tempo. Franck Kessie and Pablo Torre should complete the numbers in the middle of the park, with Gavi earning some rest.
Meanwhile, with Lewandowski resting, Memphis Depay will likely spearhead the Barcelona attack. Ansu Fati and Raphinha should be the two wide attackers, with Ferran Torres and Ousmane Dembele being the backup options on the bench.
Predicted Barcelona XI: Pena; Bellerin, Kounde, Garcia, Alba; Kessie, Busquets, Torre; Raphinha, Depay, Fati
