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Barça announced on Monday the 31 players named in the squad for the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League group stage.
As expected the entire first team squad has been put on the list, plus 10 youngsters who are currently registered either as Barça Atlètic or U-19 players.
This is the full list:
Goalkeepers: 1. Marc-André ter Stegen, 26. Iñaki Peña, 31. Ander Astralaga, 36. Arnau Tenas
Defenders: 2. Héctor Bellerín, 3. Gerard Piqué, 4. Ronald Araujo, 15. Andreas Christensen, 17. Marcos Alonso, 18. Jordi Alba, 23. Jules Kounde, 24. Eric Garcia, 28. Alejandro Balde, 33. Àlex Valle
Midfielders: 5. Sergio Busquets, 8. Pedri, 16. Miralem Pjanic, 19. Franck Kessie, 20. Sergi Roberto, 21. Frenkie De Jong, 29. Marc Casadó, 30. Gavi, 32. Pablo Torre, 34. Álvaro Sanz
Forwards: 7. Ousmane Dembélé, 9. Robert Lewandowski, 10. Ansu Fati, 11. Ferran Torres, 14. Memphis Depay, 22. Raphinha, 27. Ilias Akhomach
Thanks to the new rules implemented a couple of years ago, up to three players signed in the January transfer window can be included in the Champions League squad for the knockout stages, a rule Barça took advantage of last season when they registered Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Adama Traoré and Ferran Torres ahead of the Europa League Playoffs.
Gavi to play with 2 numbers this season?
Another interesting and obscure quirk in the UEFA rules for squad registrations doesn’t allow any number changes for players in the same season, so when Gavi’s contract renewal with Barça finally becomes official and he takes the famous #6 shirt, the youngster will still be required to wear #30 in the Champions League.
This 31-man squad will soon have only 30 players if the latest rumors are to be believed: Miralem Pjanic is reportedly very close to a move to Sharjah FC in the United Arab Emirates as the Bosnian is expected to sign a very lucrative three-year deal to leave Barça in the coming days.
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