Pedri will return to the Barcelona starting lineup in place of Fermin Lopez against Girona at Estadi Montilivi on Sunday.
Barcelona will aim to take advantage in the battle for the second spot in the standings when they lock horns with Girona at Estadi Montilivi on Saturday evening. And Xavi Hernandez does not have any new issues hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
While Xavi has not named his travelling squad yet, he is bereft of the services of only three first-team players. Alejandro Balde, Gavi, and Frenkie de Jong are long-term absentees, with the trio already playing their final game of the 2023/24 season.
Meanwhile, Xavi did not have any fitness updates during his pre-match press conference. However, he showered praise on Fermin Lopez and Pedri. The former Spanish international also addressed the Vitor Roque situation, with the Brazilian wonderkid unhappy with his lack of game time.
The Barcelona manager said, “Fermín is a great discovery, we saw him in 2-3 training sessions. We liked him, he is an important breakthrough, he is dynamic, and he has arrived. He is a Barça level player. He is a source of pride, we have trusted him.”
“It is an idea to play with four midfielders. This season we have seldom had four to five midfielders available. He [Pedri] is ready to compete, he is fully recovered. What can happen is that he recovers and is available. There are five games left, he [Vitor Roque] is a Barça player. We will talk at the end of the season.”
Vitor Roque will have to wait for his chance to feature in the Barcelona starting lineup, as it will not come his way on Saturday. Instead, Robert Lewandowski will lead the line for the away side against Girona, with Raphinha and Lamine Yamal being the two wide attackers. Joao Felix, Vitor Roque, and Ferran Torres will be options on the bench.
As for the midfield unit, Pedri will replace Fermin Lopez, joining Andreas Christensen and Ilkay Gundogan in the middle of the park. The rest of the starting lineup should remain unchanged, with Joao Cancelo, Pau Cubarsi, Ronald Araujo, and Jules Kounde forming the backline. Finally, Marc-Andre ter Stegen will take his usual spot between the sticks.
Predicted Barcelona XI: ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Cancelo; Gundogan, Christensen, Pedri; Yamal, Lewandowski, Raphinha
