Three academy players who Xavi could count on to replace injured Barcelona duo

Last night’s goalless draw against Athletic Club came with too high a cost to bear for FC Barcelona as they lost two key players, Pedri and Frenkie de Jong, to injuries.

The two are among the most important players in Xavi’s team and the injuries they sustained last night appeared to be serious, causing major concerns within the Barça camp and the fanbase.

Tests will be carried out today to determine the extent of their injuries and assess a timeline of return. But what seems apparent is that the pair will miss the upcoming match against Mallorca and the following UEFA Champions League clash versus Napoli.

Current alternatives

With no Pedri and Frenkie, Xavi will have just one guaranteed starter in midfield in the form of Ilkay Gundogan. Depending on whether he plays four midfielders or three, he will still need to fill the remaining slots.

Andreas Christensen has seemingly done enough in the pivot midfield role to continue there. That leaves Sergi Roberto, Oriol Romeu, and Fermin Lopez as alternatives.

However, Romeu has been dealing with a discomfort of his own and has been used marginally in recent times while Roberto is also just returning from his injury and has not played a minute in the last three matches.

That gives Fermin an edge, although the La Masia ace has seen his minutes reduce under Xavi in recent weeks.

Academy options

Pau Prim (bottom) could be an option for Xavi. (Photo by PHILIP FONG/AFP via Getty Images)

As such, it will not come as a surprise to see Xavi dip into the academy resources to find reinforcements, and three players could be counted upon to help fill in the void, reports Ferran Correas of SPORT.

Marc Casado, the captain of the Barça Atletic squad, would be an option, considering that he is a regular in the squad list, even though the youngster has not yet featured in La Liga this season. Xavi did speak highly of the youngster in his press conference this past weekend.

The highly-rated Marc Bernal is another option, having become a regular for the reserve team despite being just 16 years old. He has made five goal contributions in 17 appearances for Rafa Marquez’s side and has trained with the first team on a few occasions.

Although he is more of a pivot midfielder, Pau Prim would be the other option that Xavi might consider, given the fact that he is also held in very high regard within the team.

For now, the possibility of Xavi using a three-man midfield of Fermin, Christensen, and Gundogan, along with three natural forwards stands on top. But if he switches to a four-man midfield setup, the aforementioned names would be present as options.