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5 months ago
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FC Barcelona travel to Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla this weekend to take on Cadiz as they look to build pressure on Real Madrid in the La Liga standings.
Momentum is on Barcelona’s side heading into the contest, for they are on an unbeaten run of 12 matches, with their latest encounter ending in a 3-2 win over PSG.
However, with the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals against the French giants coming up next week, rotations are expected for tomorrow’s match.
Gundogan likely to be rested
As such, Mundo Deportivo reports that Barcelona midfield mainstay Ilkay Gundogan is one of the players expected to be rested by Xavi against Cadiz.
Since arriving at Barcelona in the summer, Gundogan has been playing relentlessly week after week for the club and has been a regular fixture for Germany during the international breaks as well.
The 33-year-old midfielder has featured in each of Barcelona’s 44 matches across all competitions in 2023/24, starting as many as 38 of those matches.
Gundogan has played 50+ matches for club and country. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)In addition to that, Gundogan has also played eight friendlies for Germany during this season, starting each of them.
Given that he has been one of Barça’s best players this season, it is understandable for Xavi to keep using him game after game.
But with a huge clash against PSG on the horizon and a relatively-winnable fixture against Cadiz coming up tomorrow, it might be the ideal opportunity for him to rest the veteran star.
What has Xavi said?
Earlier today, during his press conference, Xavi was indeed asked about whether he was thinking about resting Gundogan tomorrow against Cadiz, to which he replied:
“Yes, we want to rest him but it’s not easy. He’s playing spectacularly, we’ll see tomorrow, he’s not a teenager.”
Barça have recovered the likes of Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, and Andreas Christensen from injuries, providing Xavi with options to give Gundogan a breather.
