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Why Frenkie de Jong was benched for Barcelona vs Eintracht Frankfurt


 

An explanation for Frenkie de Jong being excluded from Barcelona's starting lineup to face Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday evening has been provided.

The latest Blaugrana matchday XI was, of course, unveiled a short time ago.

Boss Xavi opted for a trio of alterations to the side which got the better of Levante in La Liga this past weekend, affording starts to all of Gavi, Pedri and, most surprisingly, Oscar Mingueza:

Making way for the aforementioned trio, meanwhile, have been Dani Alves, Nico Gonzalez and the aforementioned Frenkie de Jong.

Speaking to the media ahead of the action getting underway at the Camp Nou, Xavi was therefore drawn on his latest selection decisions, with a particular emphasis on the reasoning behind de Jong being dropped to the bench.

And the Spanish tactician went on to reveal that his midfield star his been suffering from a bout of illness across the day to date:

Torres on target

Turning attentions back towards the job at hand for Barcelona, the Catalans will of course head into proceedings at the Camp Nou this evening fully aware of the threat posed by a game Eintracht Frankfurt outfit.

This comes after the two sides played out a pulsating 90 minutes in Germany this day last week, culminating in a 1-1 stalemate which could easily have gone either way.

The tie, in turn, remains on a knife-edge ahead of the action getting underway in Catalunya, as Xavi and co. eye a spot in the Europa League's final-4.

 

FC Barcelona vs Eintracht Frankfurt live streaming: Watch UEFA Europa League quarter-final second leg online

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Conor Laird

Conor Laird

Die-hard Juventus fan with a love for all things Italian, and a real soft spot for Arsenal cult heroes. Emmanuel Eboue, Nicklas Bendtner, Philippe Senderos... Give them all statues outside the Emirates.


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