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Barcelona fans on X have slammed Xavi Hernandez after he opted to exclude Joao Felix and Fermin Lopez from the starting XI to face Real Madrid. The two La Liga giants are set to face each other in the Supercopa de Espana final at the Al-Awwal Stadium later today (Sunday, January 14).
Inaki Pena Sotorres starts in goal for Barcelona. Alejandro Balde, Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen, and Jules Kounde make up the defense. The midfield consists of Frenkie de Jong, Sergi Roberto, Ilkay Gundogan, and Pedri. Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres start in attack to complete the starting XI.
Fans are fuming to see Joao Felix and Fermin Lopez not make the starting XI as they look to retain the trophy against Real Madrid. The former has been in good form, scoring six goals and providing five assists in 23 appearances across all competitions this season. Lopez has also flourished in central midfield, netting three goals in 20 games.
One fan blasted Xavi, posting:
"No Felix? i hope Xavi holds the biggest loss in history and gets sacked before full time."
Another fan wrote:
"Why cant we play Fermin as an inverted winger ffs. He is so good at occupying spaces and making runs behind the defence."
Real Madrid's starting XI is as follows: Andriy Lunin, Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rudiger, Nacho Fernandez, Ferland Mendy, Fede Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni, Toni Kroos, Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior.
What happened the last time Barcelona faced Real Madrid?
Barcelona are set to face Real Madrid in a highly anticipated El Clasico fixture for the Supercopa de Espana trophy. Let's take a look at what happened the last time these two sides faced each other this season.
Barcelona faced Carlo Ancelotti and Co. in La Liga at home on October 28. Ilkay Gundogan scored his first goal for the club in the sixth minute with a low finish, giving the hosts the perfect start.
Xavi Hernandez's men controlled the rest of the first half, however, Real Madrid dominated the second. Jude Bellingham leveled the scores in the 68th minute with an exceptional strike from 25 yards. He then scored the winner in the 92nd minute with a clever finish to help Los Blancos secure all three points.
Los Blancos are currently second in the league table with 48 points from 19 games, one point below leaders Girona with a game in hand. On the other hand, Barcelona are in fourth place with 41 points.
