Barcelona will be without the services of five first-team players for Thursday's La Liga clash with Las Palmas.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen remains on the sidelines following a back injury, while Gavi is out for the campaign due to the serious knee injury that he picked up while representing Spain in November.
Pedri and Inigo Martinez are also absent due to muscular problems, while it was confirmed on Wednesday that Marcos Alonso had undergone a back operation, which is likely to rule him out until the middle of March.
There is a spot in the squad for new signing Vitor Roque, although it has not yet been confirmed whether he will be able to feature, as his registration with La Liga has not yet been signed off.
Xavi said during his press conference that Martinez would be available for Sunday's Copa del Rey contest with Barbastro, telling reporters: "He won't be ready for tomorrow. Yes, for Sunday."
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Meanwhile, Pedri will "join the team in the next few weeks", with the Spain international bidding to recover from the issue which has kept him out since December 12.
"He's fine, he's feeling good, he's in good spirits. I hope he can join the team in the next few weeks," said Xavi.
The head coach also insisted during his press conference that his side were capable of winning titles in the second half of the campaign, with the Catalan club competing in La Liga, the Champions League, Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup.
"Yes [we can win titles], I sincerely believe so. Absolutely yes. I'm convinced. I see how they train, what they are capable of, we have done it with most of them. I'm convinced and I'm very excited to start this year," he said.
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"I'm more worried about the defensive area. Last year we were extraordinary and this year we are giving away a lot.
"It's true that we've lacked effectiveness, but even scoring two goals at times we haven't won. This is what worries me most. We are conceding too much."
Hector Fort, 17, and Pau Cubarsi, 16, have benefitted from the defensive absentees to be included in the squad, while Inaki Pena will continue between the sticks due to Ter Stegen's absence.
Barcelona, who are currently fourth in the La Liga table on 38 points, will take on Barbastro and Osasuna in the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup semi-finals respectively in their next two games after the clash with Las Palmas.
Barcelona squad vs. Las Palmas:
Pena, Astralaga, Kochen; Cancelo, Balde, Araujo, Christensen, Kounde, Cubrasi, Fort; Romeu, Roberto, De Jong, Gundogan, F Lopez; F Torres, Lewandowski, Raphinha, Felix, Roque, Yamal
Matt Law
