"Giving Madrid 3 points for free" - Barcelona fans destroy Xavi for benching summer signing in favour of 'useless' midfielder 

Barcelona fans are less than impressed with manager Xavi's decision to bench Franck Kessie and start Sergi Roberto against Real Madrid on Sunday (March 19). The Blaugrana look to move 12 points clear of Los Blancos in the La Liga standings with a victory at the Camp Nou.

However, Barca fans are already admitting defeat in the El Clasico due to Kessie not starting. The Ivorian has failed to become a regular starter under Xavi. He arrived at the Nou Camp from AC Milan on a free transfer last summer. The midfielder has started 12 of 31 games across competitions, scoring three goals and providing four assists.

Kessie came off the bench in a 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao last time out. However, he seemingly didn't impress Xavi enough in his 22-minute shift to earn a start. Veteran midfielder Roberto will start against Madrid instead. The Spaniard has featured 25 times this season across competitions, scoring three goals and providing as many assists. He has mostly filled in at right-back following the departure of Hector Bellerin in January.

Xavi has selected Marc-Andre ter Stegen in goal, with Ronald Araujo, Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen and Alejandro Balde in defence. Meanwhile, Roberto is joined in midfield by Sergio Busquets and Frenkie de Jong. The prolific Robert Lewandowski starts in attack alongside Raphinha and Gavi.

One fan thinks Xavi is handing Real Madrid the edge by not starting Kessie:

"That's it Xavi is giving Madrid 3 pts for free."

Meanwhile, another Barca fan is frustrated to see Roberto starting:

"Roberto the most invisible/useless player in our team every time he plays."

Here's how Twitter reacted to Xavi selecting Roberto instead of Kessie against Madrid:

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Barcelona may be beaten to signing of Ilkay Gundogan by Arsenal

Gundogan is a target for Barcelona this summer.

Barcelona have been linked with a move for City's Ilkay Gundogan as he enters the final few months of his contract. However, the Blaugrana's financial issues may prove to be a stumbling block in the signing of the German on a free transfer.

SPORT reports that Gundogan's wage demands could be a problem, and he will likely have to accept a wage decrease. If the Blaugrana cannot persuade the former Borussia Dortmund to do so, Arsenal could be lurking in the background.

The Gunners have a track record of targeting City players. Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus arrived at the Emirates last summer and have been massive successes.

Gundogan's preference is thought to be Barcelona, and he wants the move. Whether he wants it enough to drop his salary remains to be seen, though. He has scored four goals and provided as many assists in 37 appearances across competitions this season. The German continues to be instrumental for Pep Guardiola's side.