FC Barcelona secured a place in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 with a match to spare, and this good performance will result in some benefits for the Catalan team.
For instance, Xavi will be able to rest some of his key starters for this game, and thus keep them fresher for the business end of the season.
Similarly, Xavi can also utilize this match to provide chances to some fringe players and youngsters to get them in better shape, without risking Barcelona’s chances in any of the competitions.
Seemingly, the Barcelona head coach is going to take this opportunity to play the youngsters with both hands. As Mundo Deportivo has outlined in one of its reports, the match against Royal Antwerp can see as many as six La Masia youngsters make their UCL debuts with the first team.
Two of these six players play between the sticks, i.e. Ander Astralaga and Diego Kochen. Both these players have been called up with the first team for the last few weeks, as Marc Andre Ter Stegen has been unavailable for Xavi, but with Inaki Pena starting in the German’s stead, neither of them has gotten any minutes up to now.
Another two of these players, Pau Cubarsi and Hector Fort, can be a part of the Barcelona backline at some point in the game. Cubarsi plays mainly as a center-back and has a good chance of getting some minutes.
The right-back Hector Fort might also make a substitute appearance, but Sergi Roberto is expected to start in the right flank.
Aleix Garrido has been called up to support the midfield, and as Xavi will be looking to rest players like Gundogan, and De Jong not having traveled with the team, he is also likely to get some minutes on the pitch.
Lastly, the left-winger Angel Alarcon can also get some minutes in this game, especially as Joao Felix already has two yellow cards to his name, and Xavi will not be looking forward to having him suspended for the first leg of the Round of 16 tie.
