Barcelona welcome Segunda champions Almeria to Camp Nou in the Spanish top flight on Saturday evening.
Almeria's current manager Rubi arrived at Barcelona in the summer of 2013 as Tito Vilanova's assistant coach. However, he was quickly relegated to another member of a packed backroom staff once Gerardo Martino took over in preseason.
Xavi was vice captain of that side during a rare trophy-less season. Here's the XI he may deploy from the dugout against his former coach this weekend.
Barcelona predicted lineup vs Almeria (4-3-3)
GK: Marc-Andre ter Stegen - Barcelona's custodian is yet to concede a single La Liga goal at home this season.
RB: Hector Bellerin - While the club's European excursions have been nightmarish, Bellerin described simply being a Barcelona first-team player as the realisation of his 'greatest dream'.
CB: Gerard Pique - The veteran centre-back has won every title he has ever competed for - apart from the Confederations Cup.
CB: Marcos Alonso - Once a left-back deemed too attacking to play without the safety of three centre-backs behind him, Alonso has regularly filled in at the heart of a back-four given the bundle of injuries Barcelona have suffered in this area.
LB: Alejandro Balde - After turning down various loan offers at the start of the season, Balde has played his way into the first team and talks of a contract renewal for a deal set to expire in 2024.
CM: Gavi - The hustling and bustling scamp spends most of each match with his laces untied but is unobstructed by the dangling threads.
CM: Sergio Busquets - With half a dozen bookings to his name already this season, Busquets leads La Liga for yellow cards.
CM: Frenkie de Jong - Three years after taking a trip to Camp Nou with his girlfriend Mikky and watching Barcelona romp to a 4-0 victory as a tourist, De Jong signed for his 'dream club'.
RW: Ousmane Dembele - This calendar year, Dembele has averaged a goal or an assist every 91 La Liga minutes.
ST: Robert Lewandowski - The Pole admitted Barcelona are in a 'reconstruction process' but insisted that they 'will even be the best again'.
LW: Pedri - The silky midfielder has recorded just one assist in his last 50 appearances for Barcelona.
This article was originally published on 90min as Barcelona predicted lineup vs Almeria - La Liga.
Source: www.90min.com