Barcelona will travel to the Basque country on Sunday still without two important players as they take on Athletic Club at San Mames. Ousmane Dembele and Pedri are still absent for the La Liga leaders, and their availability for El Clasico next weekend is also in question.
However, Xavi Hernandez has confirmed in his pre-match press conference that Robert Lewandowski is back and raring to go having missed Barcelona’s last two fixtures due to injury.
“Lewandowski is fine. He has trained normally since Thursday and he’s feeling very well. He wants to play. He’s a differential player who’s a vital addition for us, especially in a game like tomorrow’s.”
Another player that will be missing from Barcelona against Athletic Club is Ronald Araujo. The Uruguayan was sent off against Valencia last week, and will sit out the trip. One player in contention to replace him is Eric Garcia, and Xavi stated the 22-year-old’s importance to the team.
“He’s not participating, due to the fact that he has competition. He is a player for the present and future. He can adapt to other positions, and this is essential. He is an example on the pitch.”
Real Madrid could cut Barcelona’s lead at the top of La Liga to six points, so Xavi will hope to keep on winning as Barca target their first league title in four years.
