FC Barcelona have encountered problems related to registrations when forming their matchday squad which will travel to Getafe on Sunday.
The Blaugrana have spent most of the summer with only 13 players registered, and two of those were Franck Kessie and Ousmane Dembele who have now left the club.
While Kessie was sold to Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ahli at the start of the week for €12.5 million ($13.7 million), Dembele completed his €50 million ($55.2 million) transfer to Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday and watched the Ligue 1 champions’ bore 0-0 draw with Lorient from the stands with outcast Kylian Mbappe.
During his prematch press conference at 17.00 local time in Catalonia, Barca head coach Xavi said that Dembele’s exit was a ‘great disappointment’ and he was also probed on the registrations topic.
“We are waiting. The club is working well and we will try to register as many as possible. We are optimistic and positive,” Xavi remarked.
“I think we’re going to be able to count on almost everyone,” he then added later.
While two of the biggest questionable stars Xavi can count on in Ilkay Gundogan and Ronald Araujo – believed to have both been able to leave Barca for free – finally got over the line earlier on Saturday, the official squad released Sunday morning shows that the manager was speaking some truth.
Put simply, he can “count on almost everyone”. But there are still some holes on the list.
Marcos Alonso can’t make the trip to Getafe for administrative reasons, and neither can substitute goalkeeper Inaki Pena who has been replaced by Barca Atletic reserve team star Ander Astralaga.
Summer signing Inigo Martinez hasn’t been registered either, but that isn’t a big issue considering he is currently injured making his involvement impossible in any event.
Oriol Romeu has been given the all clear, though, as has captain Sergi Roberto who penned a new contract and Ez Abde returning from a loan spell at Osasuna.
With spaces to spare on the plane to Madrid, other Barca Atletic players that have made the cut include Lamine Yamal, Marc Casado and Fermin Lopez.
Barca will make their La Liga debut at the Estadio Coliseum Alfonso Perez at 21.30 local time, in the Sunday night ‘partidazo’.
