Barcelona missing five players for Villarreal clash

Barcelona will be without the services of five players for Sunday's La Liga contest with Villarreal.

Pedri picked up a thigh injury during a training session towards the end of last week, with the midfielder now expected to be on the sidelines until the start of October.

Ronald Araujo is also missing with a hamstring problem, while Raphinha will serve the final game of his two-match suspension following his red card against Getafe on the opening weekend of the season.

There is also no Inigo Martinez, with the summer arrival not yet fully recovered from his foot issue, while the centre-back has still not been registered with La Liga.

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Inaki Pena is the final first-team player to miss out, with the goalkeeper's registration still pending.

However, there is good news when it comes to Marcos Alonso, with the defender being included in the squad for the first time this season, with Barcelona managing to register him to play in La Liga.

The absences have opened the door for a number of youngsters to be included, including 16-year-old defender Pau Cubarsi, while Fermin Lopez, Ander Astralaga, Diego Kochen and Marc Casado are also in the squad.

Lamine Yamal, 16, started the 2-0 win over Cadiz last weekend and could retain his spot for this match.

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Alejandro Balde, meanwhile, has overcome an injury scare to make the squad, with the left-back recovering from the knock that he picked up in training on Friday.

"[Quique] Setien and Villarreal have a similar idea to ours. They are a very well-equipped team in midfield, they can dominate the game," head coach Xavi told reporters during his pre-match press conference.

"We will have to take the ball away from them, put pressure on their defensive line, press in the opposition half. It will be key to have the ball."

Ferran Torres will be among those hoping to start on Sunday, with the forward set to remain at Camp Nou despite the speculation surrounding his future during the summer market.

Barcelona squad vs. Villarreal:

Ter Stegen, Astralaga, Kochen; Christensen, Alonso, Kounde, E Garcia, Balde, Cubarsi; Casado, Romeu, Roberto, Yamal, F Lopez, De Jong, Gundogan, Gavi; F Torres, Lewandowski, Fati, Ezzalzouli