Barcelona faced off against Arsenal at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California as part of their pre-season opener. An intense game that resulted in Barcelona suffering a 3-5 loss against a dominant Gunners side. Now, they look ahead to their next challenge.
Up next for Barcelona is a game that needs no introduction. Taking on Spanish arch-rivals Real Madrid at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the Catalan giants will be hoping to turn around their pre-season with a win to truly kick off their season.
However, one major component that left many puzzled from the game against Arsenal was the absence of a particular 18-year-old La Masia prodigy. Now, as Spanish outlet SPORT has highlighted, Xavi Hernandez has started after the game against Arsenal that the reason for Gavi’s absence was minor muscle discomfort that the player faced.
However, it is nothing that the fans should worry about in the long run, as he is expected to be back for the game against Real Madrid on the 29th of August.
The La Masia youngster has already accumulated too many minutes, and despite being in the squad for the game against Arsenal, the player was rested due to Xavi wanting to avoid any long-term injuries and having already accumulated too many minutes.
Another player who has suffered similar minor discomfort is French defender Clement Lenglet, but it is unlikely for him to feature even if no injury-related concern was there. In fact, even his inclusion in the squad traveling to the USA was a last-minute decision.
The player’s addition to the tour was possibly made at the last moment to address the delayed interest of English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur, whom Barcelona wish to put pressure on in order to get the deal involving Lenglet over the line as soon as possible.
As it stands, it is definitely likely that Barcelona fans will get to see their 18-year-old Golden Boy at display against Real Madrid in Texas come the 29th of July.
