Xavi has made an impression since taking over at Barcelona last month, winning two and drawing one of his three games in charge, including back-to-back league victories against Espanyol and Villarreal.
However, the Catalan giants were held to a 0-0 draw by Benfica in the Champions League on November 23, meaning they must beat Bayern Munich on December 8 to finish second in Group E and qualify for the knockout round of the competition.
Barcelona has 23 points after winning six, drawing five, and losing three of their 14 league matches this season, putting them in seventh place in the table ahead of the next series of fixtures in Spain’s premier flight.
Barcelona Team News
For this weekend’s La Liga match, Barcelona will be without Martin Braithwaite, Ansu Fati, Pedri, Sergio Roberto, and Sergio Aguero.
Jordi Alba, on the other hand, is anticipated to recuperate from the muscle injury that forced him off the field against Villarreal last time out in the league.
After recovering from a hamstring injury, Ousmane Dembele might be considered for a start, joining Memphis Depay and Gavi in the final third of the field.
Meanwhile, Eric Garcia should return to right-back, with the Spaniard expected to keep out Oscar Mingueza and Sergino Dest.
Barcelona XI: Ter Stegen; Garcia, Araujo, Pique, Alba; F de Jong, Busquets, Nico; Dembele, Memphis, Gavi