"Xavi is a clown", "We are losing with this lineup" - Barcelona fans unhappy with 24-year-old star's omission from XI for Real Madrid clash

Barcelona have released their line-up ahead of their La Liga clash against Real Madrid at Los Blancos' home ground, the Santiago Bernabéu, on Sunday, April 21. However, the Catalan side's fans do not seem satisfied with it, as 24-year-old forward João Félix hasn't been named in the starting XI.

Fans took their complaints to social media and made posts criticizing Xavi's decision. Here is a collection of their posts on X (formerly Twitter):

One fan wrote:

"Felix put in a 5 star performance in our last league game, why is he benched?!"

Another added:

"I no just like how this man no Dey start joao Felix sigh!"

"Pedri relegated to the bench. J. Felix not even starting games again. Lol," chimed in another fan.

One user said:

"Clown management"

"What does Xavi have against Felix?," said another.

While another said:

"I don't understand why Felix is not a starter?"

Both clubs last met in the final of Supercopa de España back in January 2024, in which Barcelona suffered a 4-1 loss against Los Blancos. Vinicius Junior scored a hat-trick for Real Madrid while Rodrygo added the fourth. Robert Lewandowski scored Barca's only goal of the game, which turned out to be mere consolation.

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Barcelona's current standing in La Liga

La Blaugrana are currently second in the La Liga table with 70 points in 31 matches. Their current form is good, with one draw and four wins in their last five league matches. The Catalans are eight points behind table-toppers and arch-rivals Real Madrid.

Winning this El Clásico is a must for Barca if they want to catch Real Madrid in the race for the league title. After this game, both sides will only have six games remaining in La Liga. Real Madrid have won 104 El Clasicos while Barcelona have won 100.

Barcelona's journey in the UEFA Champions League ended after losing 6-4 on aggregate in the quarter-finals against Paris Saint-Germain in mid-week.