Robert Lewandowski and Jordi Alba will start for Barcelona when they face Real Betis in the Supercopa de Espana on Thursday.
Barcelona will hope to reach the Supercopa de Espana final when they take on Real Betis at the King Fahd International Stadium on Thursday night. And Xavi Hernandez has taken a full-strength squad to Saudi Arabia for the competition.
Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, who will be unavailable for the next two La Liga games, are in the travelling squad. The duo’s suspension has no impact on Supercopa de Espana, and they will be in contention to feature. In addition, Jordi Alba will return after missing the last match due to a one-game ban.
Xavi did not provide a team news update during his pre-match press conference. But he spoke about how his team will approach the game against Real Betis. In addition, the Barcelona boss revealed how he has a selection headache when all his resources are available.
Xavi said, “Tomorrow will be a final for us. We have the Super Cup title two games away from us and it would give us a lot. We don’t have any injuries and we’re in a good moment, but we have to prove it on the pitch.”
Real Betis vs Barcelona Preview: Probable Lineups, Prediction, Tactics, Team News & Key Stats
“The attacking department, when everyone is available, is a headache. I feel unfair to a lot of players, but I’d rather have those headaches myself. Whoever is better will play. It doesn’t worry me, I’m aware of everyone, fatigue, injuries, injuries, discomfort.”
Xavi also had words of praise for Raphinha, saying, “He is open to playing wherever he needs to play. We had a conversation a couple of weeks ago. Rapha is going to be important, he’s a guarantee. He always comes out well, motivated, both in defence and attack, he will be important in this competition.”
Raphinha should feature in the starting lineup, taking his place on the right flank and hoping to impress Xavi. Ousmane Dembele picks himself as the form player for the Blaugrana. And Robert Lewandowski will spearhead the attack against Real Betis. Ansu Fati, Torres, and Memphis Depay will be the backup attackers.
As for the midfield unit, Pedri should drop into a slightly deeper role after playing on the flanks against Atletico Madrid. The Spanish sensation will likely join Frenkie de Jong and Sergio Busquets in the middle of the park. So Gavi will drop to the bench, where he will be a backup option for Xavi.
Alba, available after serving a suspension, will likely return to the left-back berth. The veteran should join Andreas Christensen, Ronald Araujo, and Jules Kounde in the backline. So Eric Garcia and Hector Bellerin miss out. Finally, Marc-Andre ter Stegen is an automatic pick between the sticks.
Predicted Barcelona XI: ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Christensen, Alba; de Jong, Busquets, Pedri; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Dembele
