FC Barcelona May Be Pushing For The Champions League With A “New Signing”

One of FC Barcelona’s most important players is expected to return for the Champions League, potentially making him a “new signing” for Xavi Hernandez’s starting lineup.

For the renowned midfielder who won the title four times as a player, it was third time lucky after Barca’s first two attempts to advance to the UCL knockout stage were unsuccessful.

On June 30, Xavi will resign from his position as head coach following an unsatisfactory 2023–2024 La Liga campaign with the Catalans. However, a strong run on the continent following a great deal of failure there in recent years may ensure that he leaves on good terms.

Barca and Porto had the same number of points at the end, but a pair of victories over the Portuguese powerhouses at home and away allowed Barca to top Group H.

They were thus drawn to play Napoli, the defending Serie A winners, in the round of sixteen. The first leg of the match is scheduled to take place at the Diego Armando Maradona stadium on February 12 while the second game is scheduled to take place in Montjuic on March 12.

Goalie Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s return to training last weekend has already helped Xavi; he is expected to start the league match against Granada on Sunday after missing some time due to a lower back surgery.

With Raphinha joining Ter Stegen in that Sunday’s session at the Joan Gamper CT and aiming for the showdown in Naples as his comeback date, AS claims that more reinforcements may be on the way.

In Spain, when something similar occurs, it’s customary to claim that a team has a “new signing,” and Raphinha is no different.

Since the Brazilian pulled up with a muscular ailment in mid-January, he has missed eight games. Lamine Yamal has taken advantage of this situation to secure a starting spot in the starting lineup.

If Raphinha is given the all-clear and the former Leeds United player is given a clean sheet of health, Xavi could be reluctant to thrust the 16-year-old into a high-level match in such a hostile atmosphere.