Ansu Fati and Raphinha will return, but Robert Lewandowski will be unavailable when Barcelona and Girona face off on Saturday.
Barcelona will be eager to continue the recent phenomenal run when they lock horns with Girona at Estadi Montilivi on Saturday afternoon. And Xavi Hernandez will be without two first-team players in his side’s latest fixture.
Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres are unavailable as they serve the last games of their respective suspensions. Otherwise, Xavi should have a full-strength squad at his disposal against Girona on Saturday.
During his pre-match press conference, Xavi spoke about his team selection decisions this weekend. In addition, the Barcelona manager touched upon the subject of players’ fitness, including Ousmane Dembele’s.
Xavi said, “You will see that there is no starting eleven. Often the player who comes on in the 60th minute decides the game. The players have to understand that now there are five substitutions and everything can change. Nobody should feel like a starter or a substitute. That’s the way football is nowadays.”
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“We try to make sure he [Dembele] never gets injured. We do load control work, gym work. He has changed his mind and he is happy. He feels loved and happy and that’s important. I give him confidence. I’ve been delighted with him since the first day.”
Dembele should retain his spot in the starting lineup, taking his place on the right wing. But Raphinha should return to the team, featuring on the left flank as a traditional winger. Meanwhile, Ansu Fati will replace the suspended Lewandowski as the central striker.
The decisions in the final third mean Gavi will drop into the midfield unit, with Sergio Busquets earning some rest. So Frenkie de Jong will sit at the base of the midfield, with Gavi and Pedri being the workhorses in the middle of the park.
Meanwhile, the defensive unit should remain unchanged. So Marco Alonso will not celebrate his contract renewal with a start, with Alejandro Balde featuring as the left-back. Andreas Christensen and Ronald Araujo should pair up at the heart of the defence, with Jules Kounde being the right-back. Finally, Marc-Andre ter Stegen picks himself between the sticks.
Predicted Barcelona XI: ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Christensen, Balde; Pedri, de Jong, Gavi; Dembele, Fati, Raphinha
