Xavi set to bench three heavyweights for Barcelona vs Athletic Club

Thanks to an almost perfect infirmary, manager Xavi is expected to bench as many as three first-team players for Barcelona’s home game against Athletic Club.

With players returning from respective injuries, the Terrassa-born coach is no longer short of options, meaning that he is likely to test his bench strength by giving a few players a much-deserved rest.

And as relayed by Cule Mania, the likes of Ferran Torres, Frenkie de Jong and club captain Sergio Busquets could be those who are expected to be dropped.

In all fairness, Ferran Torres rightly deserves a rest. The former Valencia winger has stacked plenty of minutes since arriving from Manchester City, and it is important to note that he was, in fact, recovering from an injury at that time.

Furthermore, since assisting a goal during Barça’s 4-2 win over Atletico Madrid, the 21-year-old hasn’t really performed to his full potential.

As for de Jong, he has enjoyed a fine run of form of late, scoring a goal in each of his last two matches. Hence, it is safe to say a break from the starting XI wouldn’t really hurt.

Busquets, on the other hand, has been a victim of extreme inconsistency. The veteran midfielder was dropped from the first-leg tie against Napoli in the Europa League, and a certain Nico Gonzalez has done quite a justice to his place whenever necessary.

Meanwhile, Xavi also needs to manage the workload of Gerard Pique and Ronald Araujo, as the duo has been central to almost every single game. Araujo, in fact, hasn’t achieved full fitness yet simply because he had limited time for recovery.

Apart from that, full-back Dani Alves is most likely to return to the starting XI after missing out on the Europa League tie along with midfielder Gavi.

While the changes are imminent, what Xavi needs to take into account is the fact that Athletic Club have an excellent record against his men this season, winning one and drawing one of their two meetings across all competitions. And to overcome the disastrous record, he is going with the following squad:

Goalkeepers: ter Stegen, Neto, TenasDefenders: Dest, Pique, Araujo, Alves, Lenglet, Mingueza, GarciaMidfielders: Busquets, Puig, Nico, Pedri, de Jong, GaviForwards: Dembele, Memphis, Traore, Braithwaite, Luuk, Torres, Aubameyang