Xavi could make a ‘surprise’ selection in midfield vs Almeria with Pedri, De Jong unavailable

In under four hours, FC Barcelona will lock horns with UD Almeria at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in what will be their final La Liga game before the Christmas break.

Going into the game, manager Xavi Hernandez has some important selection decisions to make, mostly in the midfield department where he is without his key weapons.

Indeed, Barça go into the game without Gavi, whose season is over while Frenkie de Jong misses out due to suspension.

Matters only worsened when it emerged that Pedri had suffered a muscle injury during training on Tuesday, ruling him out of action.

As such, Xavi is now forced to look for resources to fill the voids in midfield against Almeria, and Mundo Deportivo claims that there may be a ‘surprise’ selection in store.

Ferran, Raphinha in midfield?

Even though it would not be the first choice for Xavi, there is a possibility that the Barcelona manager could deploy one of the forwards – Ferran Torres or Raphinha – in the interior midfield position in a surprise move.

It is not a new move entirely, with the manager having previously utilised Raphinha as an interior at times this season, while Ferran has also played in that role on occasions previously in his career.

As mentioned earlier, it would be a left-field choice, but Xavi has shown that he is not afraid to take risks and having an additional attacker against a defensive-minded team like Almeria might be an idea worth exploring.

What are the other options?

Apart from the likes of Raphinha and Ferran, Xavi has other, more likely options to deploy in the centre of the mark in the absence of Pedri and De Jong.

Ilkay Gundogan is a certain starter in midfield and he could be partnered by Oriol Romeu and Fermin Lopez in the centre of the park tonight.

The veteran Spaniard would slot in as the pivot while the young academy graduate would be the second interior along with Gundogan.

Other options include first captain Sergi Roberto and Barça Atletic skipper Marc Casado, while fellow youngsters Unai Hernandez and Pau Prim could also be in contention after being called up to the squad.