Fati’s game for the last time
The last time that Fati was in the starting eleven was on November 1 when Barcelona said goodbye to the Champions League with a victory against Viktoria Plzen (2-4) . On that occasion, Ansu was positioned as a center forward – Lewandowski stayed in Barcelona-, while Ferran Torres and Raphinha accompanied him on the flanks. Curiously, the last time that Fati started in LaLiga was at the Mestalla against Valencia (0-1) , three days before the game against the Czech champions. In neither of the last two games that Ansu was a starter did he end up seeing the door. In fact, this season he has only scored three goals, all of them in LaLiga . There is no doubt that the man from Guinea Bissau continues with his particular challenge of going back to being who he was before his injuries. The young striker appeared in the footballing firmament a little over two years ago, breaking all the precociousness records ever, but a knee injury and a subsequent injury to the hamstring have momentarily cut short his progress. However, Xavi blindly trusts the youth squad’s chances and is willing to give him all the tools to regain his confidence and once again feel like an important player in the team. Before the derby, he will have his first great opportunity to vindicate himself and return to being Barça’s number 10 for all intents and purposes.