Barcelona capped off the first half of their 2022/23 campaign with a win over 2-1 victory over CA Osasuna, as the club football goes into an early hiatus in light of the upcoming FIFA World Cup.
Barça are set to restart their season on December 31 against Espanyol, giving Xavi ample time to regroup and get his ideas through to the players who are not part of the World Cup
However, before the Catalans kickstart their campaign, they are expected to play friendlies with a few clubs during the World Cup, in order to keep the players fit and ready for the restart of the season.
According to RAC1, Barça are looking to take the challenge one step further by arranging a friendly against Arsenal on December 17, just a day before the World Cup final.
The two parties are currently in talks over the possibility of the friendly, which could be hosted at the Emirates Stadium in London.
Arsenal could be an interesting opponent for Barcelona as the Gunners are currently leading the Premier League table, following an exquisite start to the season. Not to mention, Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta has been linked with a potential future move to Barça.
The friendly, therefore, should give the club board members the opportunity to assess the quality of the Spanish tactician, and whether or not he can be groomed into a potential replacement for Xavi Hernandez.
For the time being, though, Xavi has the backing of the board members and is currently being hailed as the ideal man to lead the Barcelona project, despite the club’s shortcomings in Europe.
A clash between the leaders of Premier League and La Liga, even if it is in a friendly, will be an exciting event. And it should help Barça keep their levels up ahead of the second half of the campaign.