Luis Enrique has eighteen players from which to pick for tonight’s Copa del Rey fifth round first leg match against Elche at Camp Nou.
Xavi, who was in the original party, has been withdrawn due to a “slight calf strain” which also renders him doubtful for the huge La Liga clash with Atletico Madrid on Sunday. Andres Iniesta’s night off has therefore been cancelled, as he is the lucky man replacing his skipper.
Claudio Bravo, Sergi Busquets, Rafinha and Douglas are all left out, while Jeremy Mathieu has an Achilles problem. Jordi Masip replaces Bravo, and will likely be on the bench, with Marc-Andre ter Stegen continuing his role as cup competition goalkeeper.
The full eighteen man squad is:
Goalkeepers: Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Jordi Masip
Defenders: Adriano, Dani Alves, Gerard Pique, Martin Montoya, Jordi Alba, Marc Bartra
Midfielders: Andres Iniesta, Ivan Rakitic, Javier Mascherano, Sergi Roberto
Forwards: Lionel Messi, Pedro Rodriguez, Luis Suarez, Neymar, Munir el Haddadi, Sergi Samper.
With the plethora of forwards in the squad, it looks as though Luis Enrique is out to put this tie to bed in the first leg, with the likes of Samper, Roberto and Munir likely to get valuable time from the bench.
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