FC Barcelona are going to return to action in La Liga this Saturday and will be facing Las Palmas in a match that can prove to be decisive for their chances of retaining the league title this season.
The Catalans currently trail Real Madrid by 8 points, and thus, winning this match will be essential if they are to cut this deficit down, or even to keep this difference from getting any bigger.
However, Xavi will be facing some problems that can keep him from fielding his best team. For instance, key players like Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, Gavi, and Balde will still be absent, and the Barcelona head coach will also face some shortages in defense as Andreas Christensen is almost ruled out for this match, and Ronald Araujo is also not fully fit.
To face this situation, Xavi had to call up two youngsters from the B team, i.e., Mikayil Faye and Mamadou Mbacke, to train with the first team. Both these players have huge potential, but Faye is the one who has been gaining the most plaudits for his talent in the last few days.
As SPORT has reported, Xavi was also asked about the young defender in his press conference ahead of the Las Palmas match, and the Barcelona head coach was full of praise for the defender:
“He has already played in some friendlies with us, he was on the last summer tour with us, and yes, he is a capable player, with good ball distribution, aggressive, and fast.”
However, Xavi did not clarify whether Faye would make his debut in the upcoming match, while admitting that he is in a great vein of form and can help the team one day.
Currently 19 years old, the defender has already made his international debut with Senegal, and marked this debut with a great goal against Gabon. This performance would certainly have brought him to Xavi’s attention, and one cannot rule out seeing him on the pitch against Las Palmas.
