Franck Kessie will replace Sergio Busquets, while Pedri will be in contention to feature for Barcelona against Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday.
Barcelona will look to take a step closer to reclaiming the league title when they lock horns with Rayo Vallecano at Estadio de Vallecas on Wednesday night. And Xavi Hernandez has a new roster issue hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Sergio Busquets is missing from the travelling squad due to a suspension. The Barcelona captain will miss one game before returning to the team this weekend. Meanwhile, Xavi has called up several youngsters again, with the group featuring Marc Casado, Chadi Riad, and Lamine Yamal.
Xavi addressed questions surrounding several topics during his pre-match press conference. But the pertinent subjects were Busquets’s replacement and the long-awaited availability of Ousmane Dembele.
He said, “Eric is one of the options we have to replace Busquets. We also have Frenkie and have called up Marc Casado. We have more options, but Eric did very well against Elche. Dembele will return on Saturday. He’s fine, like Christensen. Both will be back on Saturday.”
Rayo Vallecano vs Barcelona Preview: Probable Lineups, Prediction, Tactics, Team News & Key Stats
Dembele, as iterated earlier, remains on the sidelines, along with Andreas Christensen and Sergi Roberto. But Xavi’s latest comments come as good news for Barcelona fans, with Dembele and Christensen on the verge of returning.
But with Christensen still on the sidelines, Marcos Alonso will accompany Ronald Araujo in the central defensive partnership. Meanwhile, Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde will continue as the two full-backs. And Marc-Andre ter Stegen is an automatic pick between the sticks.
As for the midfield unit, Franck Kessie should replace Sergio Busquets at the base of the trifecta. The Ivory Coast international will likely join Frenkie de Jong and Gavi in the middle of the park. So Eric Garcia will miss out. Meanwhile, Pedri should make an appearance off the bench on Wednesday.
Finally, the offensive unit should remain unchanged, especially after Ferran Torres’s effort this past weekend. The Spaniard scored the match-winner against Atletico Madrid and should retain his spot. Torres will join Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha in the final third. So Ansu Fati will be a backup option on the bench for Xavi.
Predicted Barcelona XI: ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Alonso, Balde; Gavi, Kessie, de Jong; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Torres
