As you have obviously heard by this time, Xavi changed his mind, and decided to stay at FC Barcelona after all. It will be interesting to see the team responds now, starting with a big fixture against Girona on Saturday. They don’t have any new injury concerns at this time, but do have three players who are at risk of suspension, due to yellow card accumulation.
Ilkay Gundogan, Andreas Christensen and Oriol Romeu are all a booking away from getting hit with a match ban.
FC Barcelona at Girona FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. May 4, 6:30 CET, Estadi Montilivi, Girona, Spain
Preview Material: Team News for Both Clubs Barca Starting XI Prediction
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
La Liga Standing, Form: Girona 3rd, 71 pts, WDWWL FC Barcelona 2nd, 73 pts, WLWWW
Google Result Probability: Girona 35% Draw 25% FC Barcelona 40%
With that in mind, here is how we see Xavi shaping up his team for the weekend clash that could go a long way towards determining who finishes second this season.
FC Barcelona Starting XI Prediction at Girona
Marc-Andre ter Stegen; Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Pau Cubarsi, Joao Cancelo; Pedri, Ilkay Gundogan, Andreas Christensen; Joao Felix, Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Twitter.