How Barcelona could line up for El Clasico without Pedri

Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez never misses an opportunity to stress how utterly integral Pedri is to the Catalan giants.

"Pedri gives us a lot of tranquillity," Xavi has gushed in the past. "He makes every ball that goes through his feet better. I'm just calmer when he has the ball, it's that simple."

The respect is mutual, with Pedri detailing how Xavi has taught him to scan the pitch, creating a collage of snapshots in his mind's eye from a flurry of glances before receiving the ball.

However, for all of Pedri's dexterity, he lacks durability. The slight midfielder has missed 67 matches for club and country due to a myriad of hamstring injuries in recent years, with various reports suggesting he will once again be sidelined for Saturday's Clasico.

Here's how Xavi could line up without the crown jewel in his midfield.

Gutsy Gavi

When recently quizzed on his infamously full-blooded style of play, Gavi revealed: "My mother no longer watches the games." Mrs Paez has been missing her son's subtle evolution into a more well-rounded midfielder in Pedri's absence this season.

So often shunted into the hybrid winger role last term while Xavi employed a box midfield, Gavi was not regularly involved in Barcelona's buildup, instead crashing around the final third with a venomous edge that saw him concede 74 fouls in La Liga - more than all but two players in the division.

Gavi still isn't always on the right side of the referee's whistle but he is also winning back possession fairly more often and getting on the ball much earlier, adding some of the tranquillity which Pedri has taken with him to the treatment room - the teenager has doubled his average number of tackles and touches in the defensive third this term.

Xavi felt compelled to defend Gavi's enthusiasm ahead of El Clasico. "It is not necessary to say anything because he has matured a lot with us," the Barcelona boss argued. "I think he controls himself, and he does so very well. He is fundamental for the team and passionate."

(4-3-3): Gundogan, Romeu, Gavi

(4-3-3): Fermin, Gundogan, Gavi

Fully firing Fermin

At the end of July on a sticky night in Texas, a record-breaking crowd of 82,026 fans crammed into the AT&T Stadium to witness the arrival of Fermin Lopez. Riding high on the back of an impressive season on loan with third-tier Linares during the 2022/23 campaign, Fermin elbowed his way into Xavi's first team with a blinding strike past Thibaut Courtois in a friendly against Real Madrid.

Three months after taking his chance in a late cameo appearance, Fermin has firmly grabbed every whisper of an opportunity to drift his way. As recently as midweek, Fermin was the stand-out player in Barcelona's Champions League victory over Shakhtar Donetsk, repeatedly testing the structural integrity of the goal frame before finding the net with another emphatic strike.

Ilkay Gundogan is all but guaranteed to start on Saturday. Xavi has preferred the former Manchester City captain in one of the advanced midfield roles ahead of the deep, single pivot, leaving one spot for the Masia graduates Fermin or Gavi as the other 'interior'.

Yet, if Oriol Romeu is overlooked, Gundogan could feasibly shift to the base of midfield, giving room for Fermin and Gavi; an attacking set-up that Xavi deployed against Granada earlier this month. It didn't work. Bryan Zaragoza happily picnicked in the open spaces, scoring the first of his two goals after 17 seconds. Romeu was brought on as Barcelona salvaged a 2-2 draw.

(4-3-3): Gundogan, Romeu, Fermin

(4-3-3): Fermin, Gundogan, Gavi

Frenkie says relax, I'm back

Pedri may have been 'virtually ruled out' of El Clasico but he was involved in training on Friday. So was Frenkie de Jong. The regal Dutch midfielder has been sidelined with an ankle issue over the last month but Spanish publication AS claimed De Jong may be made available on Saturday with the aid of a painkilling injection.

The potential return of the versatile De Jong unlocks a raft of midfield permutations for Xavi. If the Catalan coach is wary of the threat posed by a Madrid team blessed with the pace of Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo alongside Jude Bellingham's clinical prowess, he could be inclined to deploy the most robust midfield trio at his disposal; Romeu flanked by Gundogan and De Jong.

Alternatively, De Jong could replace Romeu as Barcelona's ballast, allowing one of Gavi or Fermin to tip-toe between the lines with Gundogan.

As is so often the case, Xavi's selection ahead of such a gargantuan game is framed by fitness concerns. Yet, everyone in both squads will do their utmost to prove their availability. As Xavi explained: "This game means a lot. It's the Clasico and every player in the world wants to play in it."

(4-3-3): Gundogan, Romeu, De Jong

(4-3-3): Gundogan, De Jong, Gavi

(4-3-3): Gundogan, De Jong, Fermin

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