FC Barcelona find themselves in a tough position as they head to Riyadh and take on Real Madrid. The final of the Spanish Super Cup awaits the two El Clasico rivals, both of whom are going to enter with the intention of winning. However, there are still some things Barcelona need to address before that.
The last victory over CA Osasuna confirmed that it would indeed be Barcelona heading over to the final of the competition. With the prospect of facing their eternal rivals in the final, there was zero hesitation within Barça to get the victory. However, it did come with a very big cost for La Blaugrana.
Brazilian winger Raphinha, before the half-time mark, was already on the ground. Not too long after, the former Leeds United player had to be replaced. Now, as Barcelona take on their final challenge in Saudi Arabia, replacing Raphinha will be crucial as they look to sort out their right wing.
However, according to AS, Xavi’s final choice of player to replace the injured Brazilian may be a bit surprising. Unlike the last game, in which 16-year-old Lamine Yamal entered the field as a direct replacement for his injured teammate, Xavi’s selection for the final will be a bit different.
Instead, the Barcelona coach will likely opt to use Ferran Torres as the starting right-winger. The Spaniard, who has undoubtedly been in fine form, would be the coach’s pick to facilitate an injured Raphinha and take over his spot as the primary winger on the right side, a position that he is not exactly unfamiliar with.
However, this still does raise a few questions. Given how well Yamal played in the semi-final, and the obvious fact that he is left-footed and offers a rather direct alternative to Raphinha, one would have expected him to potentially start against Los Blancos.
Ultimately, the final decision lies with Xavi. Thus far, the updates are only based on the information available. As far as the Barcelona coach goes, he tends to be quite the unpredictable tactician at times. Irrespective of anything else, it will be interesting to see how he lines up his Barcelona side.
