In just a few minutes the best match of the year will begin, or at least, one of the most anticipated, as it is always pleasant to see FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid. Now, the lineups have been confirmed, and Xavi Hernandez's plan to stop Vinícius Jr. has also been revealed.
These are the lineups for the match, FC Barcelona: Marc-André Ter Stegen; Joao Cancelo, Andreas Christensen, Íñigo Martínez, Alejandro Balde; Gavi, Oriol Romeu, İlkay Gündoğan; Ferran Torres, Joao Félix and Joao Cancelo. Real Madrid: Kepa Arrizabalaga; Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rüdiger, David Alaba, Ferland Mendy; Aurélien Tchouaméni, Federico Valverde, Toni Kroos, Jude Bellingham; Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr.
So how does Xavi Hernández plan to stop Vinícius Jr? Xavi hopes that Joao Cancelo will be able to stop the Brazilian. The Portuguese has the enormous ability to play anywhere on the right wing, whether as a winger or in midfield to associate with the rest of his teammates. Xavi himself spoke at a press conference before the duel and commented on the Portuguese: "he can be a winger, interior, pivot, winger... he feels important and has a lot of confidence."
There is a surprising leader:
Girona is the surprise of the year, those led by Miguel Ángel Sánchez rose to the top of the standings with 28 points and are three points ahead of Real Madrid and four points ahead of FC Barcelona, who have their match pending against each other.
