FC Barcelona are preparing for the third match of La Liga, in which they will face Villarreal. However, Xavi will be without some of his key players and will have to make a decision on which players to start in the absence of these unavailable ones.
Ronald Araujo is one player who is a crucial cog of Xavi’s team, and the Barcelona head coach will have a thin defensive line for this match, and the midfielder Pedri also suffered an injury which will keep him out of action for some time.
Furthermore, Xavi will also be without Raphinha in the forward line, as the Brazilian will be serving the second of the two-match suspension he was awarded after the red card in the Getafe game.
Cutthroat competition for forward spots
Xavi has opted for a four-man midfield structure for some months now, which leaves only two positions for attacking players in the squad. Of these two positions, one is fixed for Lewandowski, while Abde, Ansu, Torres, Raphinha, and Yamal all have to compete for the other one.
However, Raphinha is suspended for the upcoming match. Yamal took the starting spot in the absence of the Brazilian in the last match and put in a calm and composed outing. Ferran Torres also made an appearance in the last minutes of the match, after not getting any minutes against Getafe, and was able to score a goal even in these few minutes.
Ferran Torres likely to feature against Villarreal
This goal in his debut at the Montjuic was symbolic of the form that the player is currently enjoying. The former Manchester City man is averaging a goal every 35 minutes in his pre-season and competitive matches played up to now. The winger is also in the best shape of his career, as he is putting in double training sessions almost every day.
Thus, SPORT makes an argument that owing to this physical shape and the form he is showing on the pitch, Ferran Torres is highly likely to make an appearance against Villarreal. He can either start the match from the beginning, especially if Xavi plays a three-man forward line, or can come on once the game has already started.
Whenever Torres enters the match, he is expected to bring significant energy and a goal threat as can be inferred from the form he has shown in the last few matches. However, it remains to be seen how Xavi uses him, as there were reports that the Barcelona head coach is also intending to use him as a replacement for Lewandowski at times this season.
