Raphinha and Alejandro Balde will return to the Barcelona starting lineup against Osasuna at El Sadar on Sunday.
Barcelona will be eager not to lose ground to Real Madrid heading into the international break when they lock horns with Osasuna at El Sadar on Sunday night. And Xavi Hernandez will have new players at his disposal ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Pedri and Ronald Araujo remain in the treatment room, with the duo out for the foreseeable future. But Xavi can call upon summer signings Inigo Martinez, Joao Cancelo, and Joao Felix after calling the trio up to the travelling squad to take on Osasuna.
Xavi spoke about Cancelo and Felix during his pre-match press conference. The Barcelona boss also discussed having Inigo Martinez in his La Liga squad after the Blaugrana finally registered him in the competition.
He said, “I’m very happy to have him in the squad, I think he’s a great signing. He has struggled in pre-season because of the fascia injury and he will come in little by little.”
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On Cancelo and Felix, he said, “Cancelo is a proven player, who can play on both sides. Due to the departures of Ansu and Abde, we needed a reinforcement up top. Joao Felix is very talented and has made an effort to come. I have a very positive assessment. Everyone has done an extraordinary job to have a competitive team.”
“We are going to treat them like any other player. We’re going to try to help them to be at their best. It already happened with Aubameyang and he was exemplary. We try to put them at ease and treat them with respect. With a good attitude, everyone will be happy.”
Neither deadline-day signing will start, with Cancelo and Felix having to do with spots on the bench. The same goes for Inigo Martinez, with Jules Kounde and Andreas Christensen forming the central defensive pairing. Sergi Roberto and Alejandro Balde should join the duo, with Cancelo having to wait for his debut.
As for the midfield unit, Oriol Romeu, Ilkay Gundogan, and Frenkie de Jong are forging a solid combination. And with Pedri still on the sidelines, the trio pick themselves in the middle of the park.
Meanwhile, Raphinha has served his suspension and will return to the starting lineup straightaway. But instead of benching Lamine Yamal, Xavi will likely keep Gavi as a substitute. So, Yamal will join Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski in the offensive unit. Gavi, Felix, and Ferran Torres will thus be backup options for Xavi.
Predicted Barcelona XI: ter Stegen; Roberto, Kounde, Christensen, Balde; Gundogan, Romeu, De Jong; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Yamal
