Xavi Hernandez to call up talented young forward for Espanyol amid attacking dilemma

Barcelona know that a win on Sunday night at the RCDE Stadium against rivals Espanyol will be enough for the La Liga title to be handed over to them, Xavi has had 12 days to work out his plans for the match.

The Blaugrana are missing Sergi Roberto through injury, but otherwise have a fully fit squad for the trip. He is set to go with his strongest line-up, or at least the one he has relied on in the biggest games, including Gavi on the left side of attack.

As per MD, his big question mark is over the right-wing position, where Ousmane Dembele has slowly been making his comeback. The Frenchman played the final minutes against Real Betis, and came on for 30 minutes against Osasuna, but Xavi is wondering if he should drop Raphinha in Dembele’s favour from the start.

Subsequently, they also say left winger Estanis Pedrola could be promoted from the Barca Atletic side for the match. Lamine Yamal is on youth international duties with Spain, while Angel Alarcon has been ruled out for several months. That clears the way for an extra youngster on the bench, and flashes of Pedrola’s potential have been seen under Rafa Marquez.

The Blaugrana have already started making preparations for their title celebration, and should they win on Sunday, they will be on their open-top bus parade the following day. That will only serve as extra motivation for Espanyol.