Barcelona are in a very good place at the moment. The Catalans have won their last five matches in a row in all competitions, a run which continues on Tuesday when they dismantled Royal Antwerp 5-0 in their opening Champions League group stage game.
The starting line-up has been fairly settled over this run, although that is expected to change in the coming matches. Barcelona play five matches in the next two weeks starting with this weekend’s match against Celta Vigo, so rotations will be required to keep fitness levels up and avoid further injury issues.
According to Sport, one of those that is in line to start against Celta is Marcos Alonso. The veteran defender has been a substitute throughout the season so far, with Alejandro Balde the undisputed starter at left-back. However, they are projected to swap roles this weekend.
Xavi Hernandez will be wary of Balde burning out during this run of fixtures coming up, so it makes sense for him to be rested against Celta. However, the pressure will be on Alonso to step up to the plate.
The report states that Inigo Martinez is not yet expected to start his first match for Barcelona. His season started late due to a foot injury, so Xavi plans to ease the 32-year-old in as he is further behind others in the squad.
Barcelona hope that the changes won’t affect their momentum. They are on a serious high right now, one that they will hope to carry on for the coming weeks and months.
