Last weekend was a total disaster for FC Barcelona and their fans, as they got destroyed, 4-1, by their arch-rivals Real Madrid in the Supercopa de Espana. The loss was demoralizing on numerous levels, and now there have been reports that manager Xavi has lost the dressing room.
Xavi publicly responded to the talk that his players no longer respect him, and we covered that in the last post.
Copa Del Rey Round of 16 FYIs
FC Barcelona at Unionistas Salamanca
Kickoff: Thurs. Jan. 18, 8:30pm, El Estadio Municipal Reina Sofía, Salamanca, Spain
Barca Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
European football book authored by The Sports Bank Founder Paul M. Banks: go here
Although Xavi won La Liga just last year, his seat is scorching hot right now. The only thing he can do is get results, and get them now. Opportunities arise with a Copa Del Rey round of 16 clash tomorrow at Unionistas Salamanca, a club that resides in the third tier of the Spanish football pyramid.
And then a La Liga fixture comes quickly on Sunday. Xavi may not be selecting teams for Barca next season, but let’s try and predict what he’ll pick here.
FC Barcelona Starting XI Prediction at Unionistas (Copa Del Rey Round of 16)
Inaki Pena; Hector Fort, Andreas Christensen, Jules Kounde, Alejandro Balde; Fermin Lopez, Oriol Romeu, Sergi Roberto; Ferran Torres, Robert Lewandowski, Joao Felix
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager 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’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.