Ferran Torres and Fermin Lopez will start for Barcelona against Granada at Nuevo Estadio de Los Carmenes on Sunday.
Barcelona will look to continue the unbeaten start to the 2023/24 season when they lock horns with Granada as Nuevo Estadio de Los Carmenes on Sunday evening. But Xavi Hernandez has a new injury concern hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Robert Lewandowski has picked up an ankle injury that will keep him on the sidelines for the foreseeable future. The veteran striker has joined Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, and Raphinha on the sidelines. The visitors otherwise have a full-strength travelling squad to take on Granada, with a few youngsters making the cut.
One of those players is Fermin Lopez, who has broken into the first team with aplomb. And Xavi discussed the young midfielder during his pre-match press conference while discussing a few injured players.
He said, “I’ve said it several times, I like the way he uses two legs, how he shoots from outside the box, he’s aggressive, intense, he wins a lot of duels. If he continues like this he’ll get a lot of minutes.”
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“We don’t have an injury scourge, but the squad is smaller rather than longer and it feels like it. We hope to get people back for the next game. The important thing is that they recover well. Pedri is the one who is closest to returning. It depends on how he feels. We have to recover as many as possible for the next game. Like Robert, Frenkie.”
“He’s [Lewandowski] a very important player, he’s a goal scorer, a leader, but we have alternatives, like Joao, Ferran, we brought up Pau Victor, Guiu. There are variants. Fermin himself can play as a false 9, as he did in the youth team.”
“Our idea doesn’t change without Lewandowski, but for our opponents it does, because he generates fear. We’ll try to make sure that whoever plays as a 9 does just as well, but it’s difficult to replace a world-class star.”
Lewandowski’s absence will force a change of ideas despite Xavi’s comments. Ferran Torres should replace the Pole, with Joao Felix and Lamine Yamal accompanying him in the final third. As for the midfield unit, Fermin Lopez should get a run, with the youngster joining Gavi and Oriol Romeu in the middle of the park.
The backline should not see a change, with Jules Kounde and Ronald Araujo continuing as the two centre-backs. So, Andreas Christensen’s frustrating time in and out of the team does not stop yet. Meanwhile, Joao Cancelo and Alejandro Balde retain their spots as the full-backs. Finally, Marc-Andre ter Stegen will take his usual spot between the sticks.
Predicted Barcelona XI: ter Stegen; Cancelo, Kounde, Araujo, Balde; Fermin, Romeu, Gavi; Yamal, Torres, Felix
