Xavi’s training schedule plans during the World Cup break – report

Barcelona have two more matches remaining before the team breaks up for the FIFA World Cup that is set to kick off in Qatar in less than two weeks.

The Catalan giants will face UD Almeria at home tonight before taking on CA Osasuna in Pamplona on Tuesday night, before club football comes to a halt until the final week of December.

A large contingent of Barcelona’s first-team squad is likely to be involved in the World Cup. But there will be a few players who will be left behind at the club for the duration of the tournament in Qatar.

And manager Xavi Hernandez has already formulated a training schedule for the duration of the World Cup break, reports Diario AS.

As per the report, the manager plans to give a three-week holiday to the players who will not be participating in the World Cup.

Indeed, Barcelona’s Ciutat Esportiva training complex will be closed for the first-team members from November 14 to December 1, except for those who are injured and need to continue their rehabilitation.

Following the 19-day vacation, the players will reportedly reconvene for training on December 2. It will be a like mini pre-season to get the stars in good shape for the second half of the campaign.

It will likely involve players like Hector Bellerin, Inaki Pena and possibly Pablo Torre, if he is not asked to play with Barça Atletic. Ansu Fati and Marcos Alonso could also be involved as their selection to the Spain squad is far from certain.

Preparations will get underway for the restart of the season with Barcelona facing RCD Espanyol in the Catalan derby on December 31.

As and when players are eliminated from the World Cup, they will be incorporated into the training, although they will be given a one-week holiday to ‘recharge their batteries’ before they will be asked to return to the club.

The players who make it to the semi-finals and the finals will likely end up having a smaller break of around just three or four days, the report states.