Barcelona missing two players for La Liga clash with Mallorca

Pedri remains unavailable for selection due to a thigh problem, but head coach Xavi has revealed that the Spain international is now not too far away from making his return.

De Jong, though, is likely to missing for the next six weeks or so due to the ankle injury that he suffered during the 3-2 win over Celta Vigo in the league on Saturday.

Ronald Araujo made his return from a hamstring issue off the bench against Celta, and having come through unscathed, he is again in the selection for the contest with Mallorca.

"Frenkie is a sensitive and very important loss for us because of the way we play and the way he has been playing since last season, at an exceptional level," Xavi told reporters during his pre-match press conference.

"There are many players to replace him and we hope we won't be affected by his absence. We'll see how he is after the break, but we hope he makes a good recovery and recovers one hundred percent.

"Pedri has a very good feeling, we'll see what day we can get him back. It depends on how he feels. He's doing very well."

However, Xavi is confident that Barcelona have the players to replace the key duo, naming Sergi Roberto, Fermin Lopez and Gavi as important players.

"We have alternatives and one of them is Sergi Roberto. He's a formidable wildcard for me as a coach, a luxury wildcard. Just like Fermin, he's a discovery and he can help us a lot, to be taken into account, he can be important," said the head coach.

"We know what Gavi is capable of. He is very complete. In defence and in attack, he can be brilliant. He's a beastly footballer, he's soul, heart, passion... he's vital for the team. For a midfielder of his ability, he's got to deliver passes and goals. I'm happy for him."

Meanwhile, on Mallorca, Xavi said: "We know that Mallorca is a difficult team, because they have a lot of defensive strengths, they are solid and unselfish in their work.

"They are a physically strong team, who play direct and with players like [Vedat] Muriqi or Abdon Prats who play well in space, as well as full-backs who get forward well, or players of a high level like [Sergi] Darder, a difficult game."

Barcelona have won five and drawn one of their six La Liga matches this season to collect 16 points, which has left them at the top of the table.

Barcelona squad vs. Mallorca:

Ter Stegen, Pena, Astralaga; Cancelo, Christensen, Kounde, Alonso, Balde, Araujo, I Martinez; Romeu, Roberto, Gundogan, Fermin, Gavi; F Torres, Lewandowski, Raphinha, Felix, Yamal