Barcelona are set to face Celta Vigo at Estadi De Montjuic today as they look to keep pace with Real Madrid and Girona at the top of La Liga.
Xavi’s side are in red-hot form, having beaten Real Betis and Royal Antwerp 5-0 in their last two games, and will be hoping to continue their run as they hope to capitalise on Real Madrid potentially dropping points against Atletico Madrid tomorrow.
Given the fixture congestion with the return of Champions League football, Xavi could be set to make a number of changes in order to keep his squad fresh, but summer signings Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix will likely continue in the lineup, with both impressing in their first few games.
Barcelona are currently three points behind Girona, and can go level with their local rivals with a victory over Rafa Benitez’s side. Celta have struggled at the start of the season, and star player Iago Aspas is yet to score in this campaign.
How could Barcelona line up against Celta Vigo?
Xavi could make three changes from the side that beat Royal Antwerp on Tuesday, with Alejandro Balde, Ilkay Gundogan and Raphinha potentially dropping out of the starting XI.
This could see Marcos Alonso, Oriol Romeu and Lamine Yamal enter the team, with Xavi eager to keep his squad well rested and match fit ahead of a busy period.
Romeu has been excellent since his arrival this summer, but was benched for the Champions League tie against Antwerp. With Gundogan recovering from a minor injury to start then, the German international could be rested again against Celta.
Balde has been sensational since his breakthrough, but Xavi will need to be careful about the number of games he is playing, and a home game against a struggling side is perhaps the best time to rest him in favour of Alonso.
Similarly, Xavi will be keen to use Yamal, but needs to take care over how many minutes the teenager will play this early on in his career, but this could be another chance for him to shine.
Barcelona predicted XI vs Celta Vigo: Ter Stegen, Joao Cancelo, Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen, Marcos Alonso; Oriol Romeu, Frenkie De Jong, Gavi; Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, Joao Felix.