FC Barcelona have one match remaining in the UEFA Champions League group stage, which is scheduled to take place this Wednesday. The Catalans will face Royal Antwerp from Belgium but do not have a lot to play for as they have already qualified for the knock-out rounds of the tournament.
Owing to the low stakes of this game, Xavi can decide to give some of the fringe players a chance to get some minutes on the pitch. In fact, important players like Araujo, De Jong, Gundogan, and Lewandowski have not even been named in the squad list for this match, and several youngsters have been named in their stead.
According to SPORT, there is a big chance that two Barcelona veterans will also get some minutes after a while in this match. The first of these players is the first captain Sergi Roberto, who has not played for the last two months.
Roberto suffered a soleus injury in mid-October, which kept him out for two months, but had recovered before the match against Porto.
However, did not participate in this match, nor did he play in the matches against Atletico Madrid or Girona. Thus, this can be Roberto’s first appearance for Barcelona after the match against Granada, in which he scored a decisive goal.
With Balde starting on the left, Roberto is most likely to start at the right back position, but it is not clear whether he will start or come on in the second half.
The other player who will return to the pitch in this match will be Oriol Romeu, who has not got even a single minute for the last three matches. He started the season as a clear starter under Xavi, but has lost his position since then.
The absence of De Jong and Gundogan from the squad essentially means Romeu will start in the match against Antwerp.
