Xavi Hernández travels to Manchester with twenty footballers, among whom are not the suspended Gavi, nor the injured Pedri and Dembélé. Nor has he been able to call Ángel Alarcón, from the subsidiary, who is called up with the Spanish under-19 team. Yes, the goalkeeper of the subsidiary Arnau Tenas and the midfielder Marc Casadó travel.
After the 2-2 first leg at the Camp Nou, Barça is forced to win at Old Trafford tomorrow (9:00 p.m.) if they want to beat Manchester United and get a ticket to the Europa League round of 16. With the sensitive losses of Pedri and Gabi, Xavi could repeat a midfield with four men, lining up Busquets, De Jong and Kessié, along with Sergio Roberto. The latter would be the one sacrificed if the man from Terrassa opts for three midfielders.
In defence, Xavi will recover Balde on the left, with Koundé on the right accompanying the central defenders Araújo and Christensen. While in attack, everything will depend on how many troops the Barça coach wants up front. The presence of Lewandowski and Raphina, in great shape, is unquestionable.
The list is completed with two players from the subsidiary, goalkeeper Arnau Tenas, the usual third goalkeeper for the first team, and Marc Casadó, who was also called up for the first leg, although he did not have minutes. Something that is likely to be repeated at Old Trafford. Who has not traveled to Manchester is the youthful Ángel Alarcón. The young Blaugrana footballer, who made his league debut with the first team this weekend, is concentrating on the Spanish under-19s and has not been able to travel.
The team headed for Manchester this morning and after landing in the English city, they will hold a training session at Old Trafford starting at 7:00 p.m. Before, Xavi Hernández and Jules Koundé will attend the press.
These are the twenty footballers that Xavi has called up for the match at Old Trafford: Ter Stegen, Araújo, Sergio Busquets, Lewandowski, Ansu Fati, Ferran Torres, Christensen, Marcos Alonso, Jordi Alba, Kessié, Sergi Roberto, De Jong, Raphinha, Koundé, Eric Garcia, Iñaki Peña, Balde, Casadó, Pablo Torre and Arnau Tenas.
