Varying sources from across Spain report that Ansu Fati is expected to start against Espanyol in the upcoming Barcelona Derbi on the 31st of December.
Xavi is set to have almost the entirety of his squad available for the upcoming clash, with the only notable key player missing out being Robert Lewandowski himself, who is currently having to go through his three-match suspension as it stands. Accordingly, Xavi will have to manage his assets accordingly and try to find both a player and a system in the meantime to compensate for the absence of his star striker.
According to Diario AS, it is going to be none other than 20-year-old Ansu Fati who gets to avail this opportunity and make the most of it. The youngster has had a mixed season thus far for club and country, with his fitness and injury concern having been a major cause in his rather stagnant return to proper playing time. This was made rather apparent in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, as he was only brought on as a late substitute on 2 occasions throughout Spain’s run in the tournament.
Having a total of 6 goal contributions thus far in the 14 appearances he has made for Barcelona in La Liga, he will be looking to improve that tally come his expected start against Espanyol, and make an argument for himself to find his spot back into the starting eleven.
