Xavi Reveals Barcelona’s Main Weakness Ahead of Europa League Second Leg Tie Against Man United

Xavi Reveals Barcelona’s Main Weakness Ahead of Europa League Second Leg Tie Against Man United

Chukwu Ikechukwu
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:26 PM
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  • Xavi has disclosed that his Barcelona players are suffering from fatigue ahead of their Europa League trip to Old Trafford
  • The Catalan giants are set to take on Manchester United in England in the second leg of their tournament knockout tie
  • Barcelona played out a draw with the Red Devils at Camp Nou with the winner of the reverse fixture heading to the next round

Barcelona manager, Xavi has revealed he had to rotate his squad in the Catalans' victory over Cadiz on Sunday to prevent his players from getting fatigued.

The Spaniard opted to bring in six fresh faces on the night with a host of second-half changes and Barcelona still ahead, to secure a 2-0 victory to extend their La Liga lead.

Xavi, Barcelona, Manchester United, Europa League, Camp Nou, Old Trafford
Xavi made six changes to his Barcelona squad that defeated Cadiz 2-0 in this weekend's La Liga game. Photo by Quality Sport Images.
Source: Getty Images

According to Football Espana, the Barcelona manager has now revealed the Europa League reverse fixture against Manchester United prompted him to make the changes to keep his players fresh.

“Frenkie de Jong and Robert Lewandowski played more minutes. I think they have been playing a lot of minutes, that’s why I made the changes. Let’s prepare for Thursday’s game from tomorrow and see how tired they are.”

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Barcelona faces an uphill task when they travel to Old Trafford to face an in-form Manchester United in the Europa League on Thursday, February 22 after both teams played a 2-2 draw at Camp Nou.

Busquets back for United showdown

Meanwhile, Xavi has welcomed Sergi Busquets back to training ahead of the Catalans' crucial encounter against Manchester United at Old Trafford, Tribal Football reports.

Busquets was included in Barcelona’s squad in the La Liga victory over Cadiz on Sunday and it is expected that the team captain should make the trip to England.

Xavi is expected to field his strongest legs against the Red Devils after making as many as six changes to his squad in the La Liga game over the weekend.

Xavi equals incredible Guardiola record

Sports Brief also reported that while Pep Guardiola is referred to as one of Barcelona’s best managers, Xavi could eclipse the Spaniard’s records with the Catalan giants.

La Blaugrana are now on a 16-game unbeaten run following their latest La Liga victory, as Pedri’s goal secured a slim 1-0 win against Villareal.

Xavi has now matched Guardiola's finest winning streak at Barcelona, with 11 consecutive victories in all competitions.

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Chukwu Ikechukwu
Chukwu Ikechukwu Godwin is a journalist with over 9 years of experience in the Nigerian media industry. He has worked both in Radio (Today FM, Rhythm FM, Wish FM) and Television (Silverbird TV) as a Sports Analyst..
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