Barcelona have named their 20-man travelling squad to face FC Porto in the Champions League, and it has become clear that Xavi has a problem.
Frenkie De Jong, Pedri and Raphinha are all injured, and this means there are just 16 first-team players available for the group-stage clash.
This includes 16-year-old Lamine Yamal, who has made just one Champions League appearance in his career, and this therefore highlights a depth problem facing Xavi now.
The Spaniard has tried to rotate his squad at times, and this backfired in last week’s 2-2 draw at Mallorca, where both starting centre-backs were rested.
New signings Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo have started every game since they arrived, and some players could be in danger of burnout given the injuries and the size of the squad.
Barcelona’s travelling squad
Barcelona named their squad earlier today, with youngsters Fermin Lopez, Ander Astralaga, and Marc Casado, as well as La Masia graduates Yamal and Alejandro Balde.
This is an incredibly young travelling squad for a tough European away tie, and Xavi has few options in midfield given the current absences.
Raphinha was tried as an interior against Sevilla, but was withdrawn with injury, and Xavi has little choice but to start Oriol Romeu, after the veteran was dropped following a poor display against Mallorca.
There is little in the way of central midfielders on the bench with the current absences, and it remains to be seen whether Lopez or Casado will be trusted should there be another injury in the middle of the park.
Xavi needs to get to the next international break with no more injuries in the squad, before he can then welcome back Raphinha and possibly De Jong after their absences.
If Barcelona can come away with a win at Porto, they will set themselves up nicely for qualification from the group stage.