Xavi designing a plan to get the best out of Barcelona midfield ace vs PSG

Barcelona will be aiming to finish the job and book a place in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals when they face off against PSG on Tuesday night.

Heading into the game on the back of a 3-2 win from the first leg of the quarter-finals, Barça have an advantage, even if it is a narrow one.

However, the Catalans will be without their match-winner from the first leg, Andreas Christensen, along with Sergi Roberto for the game due to suspension.

With Frenkie de Jong and Ilkay Gundogan certain to start in midfield, manager Xavi Hernandez has a decision to make as to whether he opts to start Pedri a week after his return from injury or goes with Fermin Lopez.

Xavi will start with Pedri

Now, SPORT reports that Xavi has already made his decision and plans on starting Pedri in midfield along with Gundogan and De Jong.

On top of that, the manager is planning to tweak things slightly in terms of positions and roles so as to extract the best out of the 21-year-old, who can be the difference-maker for the team.

Xavi will start with Pedri. (Photo by ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP via Getty Images)

With no Christensen and Roberto, it will be De Jong who will likely be asked to play as the pivot. And Xavi plans to place Gundogan very close to the Dutchman in the build-up to give Pedri more freedom.

Between De Jong and Gündogan, they should provide balance in midfield and let Pedri fully exploit his talents in the three-quarter area.

A differential player

Coming back after over a month on the sidelines in the game against PSG, Pedri took only seconds to showcase his class and quality when he played a sumptuous pass over the top to set Raphinha up for his second goal on the night.

As such, moving him closer to the box would be a very good idea as he can open up defences with his passes while it would also ensure that Robert Lewandowski has someone to link up with when he drops deep to receive the ball.

Xavi is aware that his team’s chances of reaching the semi-finals depend on having the ball, breaking PSG’s rhythm and breaking in the final metres. And for all of these to come together, Pedri will be a key factor.