Following MD5’s results, Barcelona have all-but secured their place in the Champions League knockout stages as group winners. They would need to lose to lose Royal Antwerp on Wednesday with Shakhtar Donetsk winning by six or more goals in order for them to be de-throned from top spot in Group H.
With that in mind, head coach Xavi Hernandez opted to leave Ronald Araujo, Frenkie de Jong, Ilkay Gundogan and Robert Lewandowski in Catalonia, meaning that they won’t play any part against Antwerp.
🚨 OFFICIAL: The squad! @FCBarcelona pic.twitter.com/VZgMSK77qQ
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) December 12, 2023
Angel Alarcon, Marc Casado, Pau Cubarsi, Aleix Garrido, Marc Guiu and Hector Fort are all in the squad, and as Xavi told the media (via MD) in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday, he could give any of these youngsters a chance to impress.
“Tomorrow we will decide but at this point, being through to the round of 16, I think it is time to give minutes to the youngest players. The normal thing is that we make quite a few changes in the team.”
Barcelona won’t take Antwerp lightly, but given their intense schedule, it makes complete sense to make plenty of rotations for this match. It also allows some of the club’s best young players to showcase their talents, which could lead to an extended run in the first team.
