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Barcelona fans are unhappy to see Xavi hand both Ferran Torres and Marcos Alonso starts in the La Liga away clash against Rayo Vallecano.
Torres scored in Barca's most recent La Liga win against Atletico Madrid at the Camp Nou. Despite the Spaniard scoring the winner in a 1-0 win, fans are yet to be convinced by his performances.
The former Manchester City star has so far scored seven goals and has provided two assists in 39 matches this campaign. Alonso, meanwhile, has played 25 games so far this campaign, helping Barca keep 14 clean sheets across competitions.
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Fans, however, are livid to see the duo in the starting XI. They vented their frustration on Twitter, with one writing:
"FERRAN HOLDS HELP KILL ME."
Another fan claimed:
"Awful."
Barca, meanwhile, have the chance to extend their gap on Real Madrid by 14 points with a win. Los Blancos lost their most recent La Liga match by a score of 4-2 against Girona. Xavi's side currently has 76 points from 30 games.
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen starts in goal for the Catalan club. Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Marcos Alonso, and Alejandro Balde are the four defenders. Pedri, Gavi, and Frenkie de Jong start in midfield. Raphinha and Torres start in the attack alongside Polish striker Robert Lewandowski.
Here are some of the best reactions across Twitter as Marcos Alonso and Ferran Torres start for Barcelona against Rayo Vallecano:
Barcelona manager Xavi spoke about Marc-Andre Ter Stegen
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen has been rock solid between the sticks for Barcelona this season. He equaled Claudio Bravo's record of most clean sheets in a league season (22) against Atletico Madrid.
The German goalkeeper's form has been one of the main reasons behind the Blaugrana holding such a healthy lead atop the La Liga table. Speaking about Ter Stegen, Xavi said ahead of the Vallecano clash (via Barca Universal):
“I know Ter Stegen’s personality because I played with him. He’s a very methodical person and right now, he’s the best goalkeeper in the world. He helps us even more because of our way of playing.”
Ter Stegen has kept 25 clean sheets in 42 appearances across competitions so far this season. Since his 2014 arrival, the German has managed to keep 154 clean sheets in 359 matches.
