Following a disappointing start to the season, Barcelona will look to get back to winning ways when they take on Cadiz at Estadi Olimpic this evening.
It is a must-win game for Xavi Hernandez, whose problems were compounded following the injury of Ronald Araujo.
The Uruguayan international has been ruled out for at least a month after picking up a thigh injury ahead of the Cadiz game.
Barcelona are expected to complete the capture of Joao Cancelo quite soon, but for the time being, coach Xavi will have to make some key manoeuvres in order to plug the team’s weak points.
Here, at Barça Universal, we will take a look at three changes Xavi Hernandez could make to the Barça starting eleven Vs Cadiz.
Sergi Roberto in for Ronald Araujo
First and foremost, Xavi must address the problem in the right-back position. With Araujo injured, the Barcelona coach has limited options in the position.
There were rumours that Marc Casado could feature against Cadiz this weekend, but we expect Xavi to bring in the far more experienced figure of Sergi Roberto.
The Barça veteran has played in the position numerous times during his career and looks the best option for Xavi right now.
Jules Kounde is another option, but Xavi is unlikely to entertain the Frenchman in the right-back position right now, given that centre-back Inigo Martinez is also not available.
Gavi in for Oriol Romeu
In the last game against Getafe, Xavi deployed a 4-2-3-1 of sorts, with four midfielders on the pitch. The strategy clearly did not work and Barça eventually required an extra attacker on the pitch.
This time around, the Barcelona head coach could look to redeploy his favoured 4-3-3 by taking out one of the midfielders. Oriol Romeu is the likeliest candidate, with Gavi expected to replace the former Girona star in the starting eleven.
Gavi’s introduction in the starting XI could see Frenkie de Jong move to pivot, with Ilkay Gundogan and Pedri playing in midfield, thus forming a 4-3-3.
Gavi, to that end, will shift to the left-wing slot, where his creativity, aggression and defensive work ethic could lend an extra hand to Barcelona’s first line of press.
Ferran Torres in for Raphinha
One final change in the starting eleven could come in the attacking department. As was evident against Getafe, Barcelona do lack creative brilliance in the final third.
With that in mind, Xavi could introduce Ferran Torres to the starting eleven. The Spaniard could replace Raphinha on the left flank.
Ferran Torres is coming on the back of a promising pre-season campaign. The former Man City starlet showed a lot of promise and could make a bigger impact than Raphinha this evening.
Not to mention, Ferran has the tendency of moving into central positions, which could combine well with Gavi on the opposite flank.
It could ultimately give Barcelona more impetus to attack the central lines of the Cadiz defence. Whether or not that strategy will be fruitful remains to be seen.
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