Barcelona has announced the squad for the La Liga 2020-21 match against Alaves and the team left out the name of Riqui Puig from the 21-member squad. The youngster has been struggling with the poor form of late, but the coach of the team Ronald Koeman said that it was a purely technical decision. Koeman during the pre-match interview said that leaving out Puig is more of a technical decision as having a 23-member squad while travelling is too much for him. “The best thing is to travel with a maximum of 20 or 21. I prefer that there are players who train a very intense training in case I need them they are in good shape to play,” he said during the pre-match interview. Ronald Koeman Defends Antoine Griezmann’s Goalless Outing Against Juventus During Champions League 2020, Says ‘He Couldn’t Have Done Any Better’.

Antoine Griezmann who had been criticised severely for poor form has also made way into the squad. Barcelona enters into the game with a stunning 2-0 win against Juventus in the Champions League 2020-21. The team, however, lost to Real Madrid in the La Liga 2020-21 fixture. The Catalan Giants lost the game by 1-3  against Real Madrid. Barcelona has announced their squad on social media. Check out the tweet below:

The last time the two teams met each other in the La Liga 2019-20 match, Barcelona won the game by 5-0. The Catalan Giants are placed on number 12 of the La Liga 2020-21 points table. Check out the playing XI for both teams below:

Alaves: Pacheco; Navarro, Laguardia, Lejeune, Duarte; Mendez, Pina, Battaglia, Jota; Perez, Joselu

Barcelona: Neto; Roberto, Pique, Lenglet, Alba; De Jong, Busquets; Dembele, Pedri, Fati; Messi

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 31, 2020 10:38 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).