In recent weeks, Barcelona has been navigating a grueling schedule, with matches in both La Liga and the Champions League. Over the course of three weeks leading up to next month’s international break, they are slated to play seven matches.

Joao Cancelo, who joined from Manchester City, has been a consistent starter for Barcelona since domestic football resumed after the previous international break. While he has impressed, his recent performance in Tuesday’s draw against Mallorca, his fourth appearance in just 11 days, left much to be desired, likely due to fatigue.

According to Sport, Cancelo is showing signs of fatigue after playing a full 90 minutes against Mallorca. As a result, he is expected to be rested for the upcoming match against Sevilla on Friday. This break will provide the Portuguese player with some much-needed rest before Barcelona faces Porto in their second Champions League group stage match next Wednesday.

Barcelona’s head coach, Xavi Hernandez, has several options to replace Cancelo for the Sevilla clash, including Ronald Araujo, Jules Kounde, and Sergi Roberto. However, whoever steps in will face the challenge of matching Cancelo’s recent performances.