Barcelona rotations on the horizon following international break

Barcelona Manager Xavi Hernandez is set to make changes over the coming matches, as the physical load piles up early on in the season.

So far this season Xavi has only made six changes to his starting line-ups, with all of them enforced by injuries and suspension. While Raphinha missed two of the first four fixtures following his red card against Getafe, Pedri, Ronald Araujo, Gavi and Alejandro Balde have all missed game time through injury.

According to Sport, Barcelona will give the likes of Inigo Martinez, Ferran Torres, Fermin Lopez, Marcos Alonso and Sergio Roberto game time over the next couple of weeks. Youngsters Pau Cubarsi and Marc Casado could also be asked to step in, while Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix will begin their Barcelona careers in earnest.

It is worth remebering that the deadline day exits of Ez Abde, Eric Garcia and Ansu Fati have left Xavi with a squad of just 19 first-team players. After the international break finishes, Barcelona face Real Betis on the Saturday night, followed by a clash against Royal Antwerp on the Tuesday, as they debut in the Champions League. Both are at Montjuic. Thereafter, Barcelona host Celta Vigo and travel to Real Mallorca.

Equally, Xavi will be conscious they cannot drop further behind Real Madrid at this early stage, and getting through the Champions League group stage is a must this season.