FC Barcelona head coach will make at least eight changes to his side that beat Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Saturday as it faces Cadiz in La Liga.
The Catalans are on a high after topping their Qatar-backed quaterfinals foes 3-2 in a Parc des Princes first leg, but they have to think about the return fixture where a ‘furious’ Kylian Mbappe has vowed to exact revenge.
Because of these, he has to seriously alter the face of first XI while also accepting that the La Liga title won last term could be ceded if his men don’t come out with a win eight points behind bitter rivals Real Madrid and eight days out from El Clasico.
“For us it’s vital,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Friday, with regards to being victorious on the road. “La Liga can end if we don’t win. We have to go all out so as not to throw in the towel. If we fail, El Clasico will be of very little use. It’s a key day.”
“What worries me is discomfort and tiredness. But we’ll build a team to win; we have to put the Champions League aside and focus on La Liga,” he insisted.
Starting in goal then, Marc Andre ter-Stegen is one of few players that will keep his place.
Suspended for the PSG second leg, though captain Sergi Roberto and the scorer of the winner Andreas Christensen come in for Jules Kounde and Pau Cubarsi at right back and center back with Ronald Araujo staying put.
On the left, Hector Fort benches Joao Cancelo and will look to repeat his sterling job doing so against Atletico Madrid in a 3-0 win before the international break last month.
In midfield, Oriol Romeu and Fermin Lopez give Ilkay Gundogan a breather while Roberto retreats into defence and Frenkie de Jong remains.
Up top, there are starts for Joao Felix and Ferran Torres on the left and right wing as Vitor Roque is handed a rare start at the expense of Robert Lewandowski.
FC Barcelona Versus Cadiz First XI: Ter Stegen; Roberto, Araujo, Christensen, Fort; Oriol Romeu, Frenkie de Jong, Fermin; Ferran, Vitor Roque, Joao Felix
