THE 2 POTENTIAL SURPRISES IN BARCELONA’S LINE-UP TO FACE PSG

An update on the plans of Barcelona head coach Xavi for his starting line-up to face Paris Saint-Germain this week has today been forthcoming online.

Barca, of course, are set to turn attentions back towards matters on the continent in two days’ time.

After putting Cádiz to the sword by a solitary goal in La Liga on Saturday, the 2nd leg of the club’s Champions League quarter-final tie with the aforementioned PSG now lies in store.

The Blaugrana, of course, will head into proceedings boasting a slender advantage, owing to a 3-2 triumph in France’s capital this past Wednesday.

Xavi and co, though, are no doubt acutely aware that an equally impressive performance will likely be required in Catalunya, to put to bed an always dangerous PSG outfit containing the talents of Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and more.

A strong XI is in turn expected to take to the pitch for Tuesday’s hosts at Montjuïc.

The bulk of the personnel will remain the same as took to the pitch at the Parc des Princes, with as many as nine players understood to be all but locked in to start.

As per a report from Marca, though, question marks remain when it comes to a couple of key positions.

In the middle of the park, the current favourite to join Frenkie de Jong and İlkay Gündoğan is Pedri.

Fresh off his latest injury setback last month, however, it has not yet been definitively decided that the 21-year-old will be thrown in from the off against PSG.

Should Xavi opt to take the safe route, with Sergi Roberto and Andreas Christensen suspended, youngster Fermín López would step into the Blaugrana XI.

And the other player pushing for a starting berth on the continent comes in the form of João Félix.

Frontman Félix is of course fresh off a match-winning display, which saw the Portuguese net the only goal of Saturday’s win over Cádiz.

And Marca suggest that his fine recent form gives Félix ‘options to enter the eleven’, in place of one of Lamine Yamal, or Raphinha.

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