Surprise in Barcelona, Xavi could take one of the biggest stars out of the team

Barcelona have had an almost perfect start to the 2023/24 season. In La Liga they have won 4 of their 5 matches and are second in the standings, only 2 points behind leaders Real Madrid. And in Champions League they debuted this Tuesday with a great 5-0 victory against Royal Antwerp in Montjuic, which allows them to have the first place in group H that they share with Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk.

However, those good performances and results meant a lot of hard work for the team. Xavi Hernandez has repeated most of the players in all those matches and the wear and tear is starting to show. That is why the coach has decided to start making changes in the starting lineup to take care of the physical condition of the players. At the same time, this will allow him to give opportunities to others who have not yet had too much participation in the season.

One of those who could leave the team is Robert Lewandowski. The striker not only played all of Barcelona's games this season, but also traveled with the Poland national team during the September international break for the matches against the Faroe Islands and Albania in the Euro 2024 qualifiers.

Lewandowski is 35 years old and his physical strength is no longer what it was some time ago. That is why Xavi wants to take care of him and, according to reports, is analyzing taking him out of the team. One possibility is that he will not play this Saturday against Celta in Montjuic. The other alternative is that he plays that game and then rests on Tuesday, September 26, when Barcelona play Real Mallorca at the Iberostar Estadio.

Who will replace him?

Robert Lewandowski is the only centre-forward in the squad. When he is out, Xavi will have to use in his place players who commonly play in other positions, such as Ferrán Torres, Joao Felix or Raphinha.