The tie is precariously balanced as a result of the Catalans’ 2-2 draw with Manchester United on Thursday night at Camp Nou, which brought back memorable memories of back-to-back 3-3 draws between the clubs in the fall of 1998.
Gavi, who was given a yellow card for a foul on Fred, will not be able to help Barça in Manchester and is now out of the second game.
The 18-year-old received his third booking in a European encounter this season, which was sufficient to result in a one-match suspension. Due to Marcel Sabitzer’s accumulation of infractions with parent club Bayern Munich, United had been missing both Lisandro Martinez and him at Camp Nou for similar reasons.
Gavi joined Barcelona’s first team shortly after turning 17 at the beginning of the previous campaign. In his first season, he spent the majority of his outings in central midfield alongside fellow rookie Pedri, but in recent weeks, he has made an impression on the left wing.
Graduate of La Masia who joined Barcelona at the age of 11 has a €1 billion buyout clause in a contract that runs through 2026.
Although the agreement was reached back in September, it wasn’t officially recorded until the end of January. Prior to that, Gavi was still technically a member of Barcelona, but with his promotion to the first team, he received a new jersey number—the six made famous by his manager at the time, Xavi.
