Barcelona fans can smile on Saturday, because all signs point to it being the return of star midfielder Pedri. The 20-year-old has missed two-and-a-half months of action after a minor tear in his hamstring against Cadiz, but is back in full training with his teammates.
The Blaugrana got Jules Kounde, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha back from injury on Saturday against Real Madrid, even if it looked a little soon for them. They should be more up to speed now, and Sport say that after completing training with no concerns, Pedri should be back in their squad for their trip to Anoeta on Saturday night.
🚨 Pedri had excellent feelings during today's training session. @fansjavimiguel 🇪🇸
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) November 2, 2023
Frenkie de Jong is not so fortunate, as per Sport. He too suffered a muscle problem about five weeks back, and has been sorely missed. It looks as if he will miss the clash with La Real, but is in the running to return for their Champions League clash the following Tuesday against Shakhtar Donetsk.
The return of Pedri and in time de Jong is crucial news for Xavi Hernandez. While they still have good options in Gavi, Fermin Lopez, Oriol Romeu and Ilkay Gundogan, both the Canary Islander and the Dutchman provide qualities that nobody else can. Xavi will be hoping that they bring with them a leap forward in control and quality, but he will have to ease them back into action, with Pedri in particular susceptible to muscle problems.
