Barcelona’s victory in El Clasico last Sunday extended their lead over Real Madrid in the La Liga title race to a mammoth 12 points. They one hand on the trophy, with just 12 games remaining in the season.
Xavi Hernandez’s side can extend their lead to 15 when they take on Elche next Saturday evening, and with the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final tie against Real Madrid just four days later, rotation is expected.
Furthermore, with Andreas Christensen now set to miss the next three weeks due to injury, and Frenkie De Jong and Ronald Araujo both doubtful after sustaining injuries in El Clasico last weekend, Diario AS report that several fringe players are expected to start against Elche.
The likes of Eric Garcia, Marcos Alonso, Jordi Alba, Pablo Torre, Ferran Torres and Ansu Fati are all in line to start, with Xavi set to take precautions ahead of the match against Real Madrid at Spotify Camp Nou.
The match could present those mentioned with an opportunity to show that they deserve to still be at Barcelona next season, with several departures expected this summer due to the club’s financial predicament.
