When Barcelona plays Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League, Xavi insists the team’s injury crisis “will not be an excuse.”
FC Barcelona will face Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Wednesday with a few players out, but they don’t plan to use that as an excuse as they look to maintain their top spot in Group H.
“Although our current injury scenario is not ideal, it is what it is. According to UEFA, manager Xavi stated on Tuesday, “It is what it is.” We want to play better than we did in the first half of the previous game, not to complain. We won’t use our large number of injuries as an excuse.”
There is a long list of people who will miss this week’s European match. After suffering an ankle injury during the team’s most recent Champions League match, a 1-0 victory at Porto, forward Robert Lewandowski is still out. Other injured players include Pedri, Jules Kounde, Frenkie de Jong, Raphina, and Sergi Roberto. Gavi, who received a red card in the Porto match, will also be absent from the match against Shakhtar.
The injured group’s chances of returning in time for Saturday’s Clasico against Real Madrid are unknown, but the defending La Liga winners still have a wealth of skill, particularly up front. With four goals in 11 games this season, Ferran Torres is expected to be the primary striker, while Joao Felix, who opened his Barcelona career with three goals in nine games, should also contribute.
The 23-year-old Torres declared, “I’m ready to step up and assume greater responsibility in attack. “In comparison to Barcelona’s many young talents, I feel like an old man.” I make an effort to counsel these individuals, who are powerful and making a name for themselves at the top of the team. They have a lot of pressure, but they need to manage it effectively. They are incredibly talented.
Marc Guiu, a 17-year-old who helped Barcelona overcome Athletic Club 1-0 on Sunday, is one of those kids showing off their potential. Though they were superior in almost every statistical area, the side was unable to score until Guiu scored a goal just seconds into his debut.
The outcome kept Barcelona undefeated in the league this year, although Xavi acknowledges that they can yet do better. Take a look at Barcelona’s thrilling victory over Porto earlier this month, which came despite their poor offensive effort. They had a greater advantage in possession and prevailed 1.14 to 0.6 in the expected goals match, but they could only muster four of their fourteen shots on goal—one fewer than Porto.
Barcelona isn’t exactly worried about the results against Porto and Athletic Club just yet, though. In La Liga play, the team is ranked in the top two for goals, expected goals, shots, shots on goal, and shot on goal percentage. In the Champions League group stage, they are ranked in the top six for nearly all of those same metrics.
After two games, their European shot on goal percentage is 38.9% from 36 attempts, which ties them for 11th place with Copenhagen and puts them significantly behind leaders Porto, who have fired 53.8% from 26 attempts. This is true even though Barcelona scored six goals, five of which came in the crushing defeat over Antwerp on Matchday 1, above their predicted goals score of 4.03.
Barcelona’s two group stage matches in the Champions League clearly differed from one another, therefore every game after that will provide the squad a chance to demonstrate which end of the spectrum they actually play on. This is particularly true in light of their current injury issue, which will present Xavi with an opportunity to showcase the depth of his team and provide insight into how far Barcelona can advance in Europe this year.
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