Luis Enrique says Xavi will start on Saturday

Luis Enrique says Xavi will start on Saturday

The midfielder will be on the field at kick off for his last La Liga match at Camp Nou Thomas Vermaelen will also make his first official appearance for Barça

FC Barcelona head coach Luis Enrique Martínez made an exception and announced ahead of time the names of two players who will be guaranteed minutes in Saturday afternoon's match at Camp Nou against Deportivo de La Coruña. Kick off is set for 6.30pm CET and, as always, the game will be televised globally. Luis Enrique confirmed that Xavi Hernández will start in his last league match at the Camp Nou and Thomas Vermaelen will make his official Barça debut. The coach also said that those players who have played fewer minutes this season will have chance to play.

Although Barça have nothing to play for, having already wrapped up this season's league title, Luis Enrique said that the game against Deportivo "is a match that should serve as a reinforcement for us going into the two finals that are left." For me, Xavi is still good enough to play one more year for Barça. But it's his decision. When asked about Xavi's decision to move on from Barça, Luis Enrique said: “Xavi made a decision that eventually had to be made, but he can still win two more titles. He'll have a new and very enriching experience and he'll also be able to see what he had at Barça."

He also referred to the two finals that still lie ahead. "Finals are very special matches. The atmosphere is wonderful, the stadium is 50/50 with fans for both teams," he said, talking about the coming duels with Athletic Club and Juventus.

Here are some of the other things Luis Enrique had to say:

On Xavi

"Xavi's been the captain for many years, but even before that he was a leader in the dressing room."

On team unity

"I've seen unity in the dressing room since the beginning of the season."

On his coaching staff

"I have a very well-prepared coaching staff. I'm extremely happy with them."

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