FC Barcelona are less than 12 hours away from competing against Getafe CF at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez for their opening game of the official 2023/2024 La Liga EA Sports campaign as the Catalans look to make a great start to their season.
In terms of positive news prior to the game, FC Barcelona has managed to recover certain players from injuries and discomfort, namely new German arrival Ilkay Gundogan and Danish defender Andreas Christensen, and Xavi will now have them available for the clash.
Moreover, the registration process at FC Barcelona continues to move smoothly as the Catalan club have managed to register almost the entirety of the squad, barring a few exceptions, within the records of La Liga and now have all those players eligible to take part in the upcoming clash against the men of Jose Bordalas.
With such availability comes a great positive dilemma for the Barcelona coaches according to Spanish outlet SPORT, who highlight that with all midfielders now available for selection by Xavi, the coach could be in for a real hurdle in naming those he deems fit to start the game.
Understandably, the tactical aspect of the game takes precedence and Xavi will select his midfielders based on the necessity of the game first and foremost. However, the question of which midfielders he will choose to entrust with this opening game’s responsibility will be interesting to dissect and see.
Oriol Romeu’s position within the starting eleven almost feels fixed given his importance as the side’s primary pivot with not much specialising competition present to knock him off his perch.
The main dilemma lies between having to choose from the likes of Ilkay Gundogan, Pedri, Gavi, Frenkie De Jong, and Sergi Roberto. At the moment, SPORT believes that Pedri and De Jong hold more of a merit in the eyes of Xavi and are much more likely to start than others.
Both Gavi and Gundogan also have the possibility of starting, but if the other players remain fixed, it is likely that only one of the two mentioned midfielders takes part in the game should Xavi decide to field his typical system involving four Barcelona midfielders.
Both Gavi and Gundogan had a rather disruptive pre-season given both of them having to recover from differing discomforts and Gavi only having had the opportunity to play against Tottenham Hotspur for the Joan Gamper Clash.
It will consequently be interesting to see how Xavi overcomes this selection in time for the La Liga clash up ahead and how it reflects on the entire season up ahead. However, one thing remains certain, all players mentioned will have their respective parts to play in this long season ahead.
