Barcelona’s plans for their key La Liga clash with Athletic Club continued to be disrupted.
La Blaugrana return to domestic action following the international break with Xavi’s charges facing a major test against their Basque visitors.
All players who reported for national team duty during the October break have now returned to Spain but the turnaround in between is tight for Xavi.
As per the latest report from Mundo Deportivo, Ilkay Gundogan and Ronald Araujo did not take part in training today at the Ciutat Esportiva base, and the pair face a fitness race ahead of the game.
Both players started successive games in the last week, with Gundogan captaining Germany against the USA and Mexico, and Araujo starting for Uruguay against Colombia and Brazil.
Xavi could include them in the matchday squad against Athletic Club, but their lack of training, and Araujo’s marathon return journey from Montevideo, could mean places on the bench.
