Barcelona will look to make it seven La Liga victories in a row when they host Cadiz at the Camp Nou on Sunday evening. Xavi Hernandez’s side sit eight points clear at the top of the table, but that led could be cut to five if Real Madrid defeat Osasuna on Saturday.
Barcelona welcome back Sergio Busquets for the game against the Andalusian side. The 34-year-old has been out of action for the last two weeks having suffered an ankle sprain against Sevilla, but he has now recovered and has been named in the squad for Sunday’s fixture.
🚨SQUAD LIST🚨#BarçaCádiz pic.twitter.com/qQJN4gvEeu
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 18, 2023
Barcelona suffered a shock defeat to Cadiz in the pair’s last meeting at the Camp Nou, and Xavi will be keen to avoid that happening again this season. He is well aware of Barca’s opponent’s capabilities in defence.
“We will have a lot of ball control, we will have to move it quickly. Cadiz defends very well. We have the memory of last year, which we lost at home. These are three very important points.”
Despite Barcelona’s excellent form, star striker Robert Lewandowski has underperformed since domestic football returned for Barca at the start of January. The Pole has bagged five goals in nine appearances, but has failed to score in his last three matches.
Despite his lack of goals, Xavi believes that Lewandowski is in a very good form at the moment.
“I see it very well. He is in a very good moment. Maybe he started extraordinary and now it may seem that he is not so excellent. Maybe we have to play more with him, he makes everything good.”
Xavi is likely to rotate the Barcelona team ahead of Thursday’s second leg against Manchester United in the Europa League, but he will be keen not to underestimate Cadiz, who are fighting to stay in La Liga.
