David Villa was named to FC Barcelona’s 16-man squad ahead of the Cup’s round of 32 return leg against Alavés. The striker didn’t travel to Valencia due to an ankle injury, but he was declared physically fit for tomorrow’s match. In addition, Vilanova named five Barça B players to the team - Oier, Tello, Sergi Roberto, Deulofeu and Plana. This is the first time that Carles Planas has been called up for an official match with the senior side.
Rest for key players
The manager decided to rest Valdés, Iniesta, Piqué, Sergio, Xavi, Jordi Alba and Iniesta, five of the seven players that have featured the most for Barça so far this season. Only Piqué and Iniesta, both of whom have struggled with injuries, are the two footballers that weren’t named to the team that haven’t enjoyed a lot of playing time this season.
In this Tuesday’s training session, David Villa and Isaac Cuenca trained with the group. The session included all available first team players and Barça B’s Tello, Deulofeu, Planas, Sergi Roberto, Kiko and Oier. The 16 players named to the team will train again on Wednesday at 12.00 at the Camp Nou. On the other hand, the players that won’t suit up will return to training on Thursday.
