Barcelona are hoping to improve performances in the new year, as well as results, and the Spanish Supercup will be an early test of their capacity to do so. Yet they will do so without Pedri, whose hamstring problem is worse than first feared.
The Blaugrana face Osasuna in the semi-finals on the 11th of January in Saudi Arabia, and will clash with one of Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid on the 14th should they make it through. It had been hoped that the muscle tear suffered by Pedri would have recovered in time for the Supercup games, but MD say that the injury is worse than first feared. The tear is not as minor as initially diagnosed, and Barcelona’s coaching staff are already planning their trip to Saudi Arabia without Pedri. They intend to wait an extra week, ahead of crucial February period in La Liga and the Champions League.
This causes further concern around their star midfielder. Pedri has missed a year out of the last two through injury, and earlier in the season his hamstring issue was initially diagnosed as around a month out. That was closer to two months in the end, and without Gavi, it means the Barcelona midfield is a lot weaker than it looked at the start of the season. Oriol Romeu and Fermin Lopez will be two very different candidates to replace Pedri in the Supercup.
