Andres Iniesta is likely to feature for Barcelona as Luis Enrique’s men play hosts to Villarreal at Camp Nou on Saturday.
Barcelona can create a three-point lead at the top of the La Liga table over bitter rivals Real Madrid when Villarreal pay them a visit at Camp Nou on Saturday. The two clubs are tied on 81 points, but Luis Enrique’s men lead due to a superior head-to-head record.
Villarreal, though, will be the biggest test to the Blaugranas’ title-winning credentials and a tough challenge awaits them. Ahead of the match on Saturday, here’s the all-important team news for Barcelona.
The report on that front is quite positive, as Luis Enrique does not have any fresh injury concerns to deal with, with just the three long-term absentees from his squad in Aleix Vidal, Rafinha and Jeremy Mathieu.
? Luis Enrique on Andrés Iniesta: “He has been training well with the group for the last two days. He’s in good shape” #FCBlive pic.twitter.com/vXFsGYoxDX
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) May 5, 2017
Spanish defender Vidal had his season end prematurely when he sustained a gruesome injury to his ankle in a league game against Alaves in February, and is only expected to return during the last leg of Barcelona’s pre-season for 2017/18.
Brazilian midfielder Rafinha, too, won’t play any further part in Barcelona’s campaign, after he picked up a knee injury last month. He is only expected to return to action at the start of next season. Mathieu is sidelined with a problem in his Achilles tendon, with no set date earmarked for his return.
Meanwhile, Enrique had been sweating over the fitness of club captain Andres Iniesta after he missed the derby at Espanyol last weekend with a muscle injury. But, the Barcelona boss delivered positive news on Iniesta’s fitness as he hinted that the Spaniard is likely to return on Saturday.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Enrique reported that Iniesta had trained this week and is feeling good. He said: “He has been training well with the group for the last two days. He’s in good shape.”
Enrique also called on his side to remain on their toes against “one of the toughest sides” in La Liga. He added: “Villarreal are a team that present many difficulties in defence as they position themselves so well. Villarreal are hard to get the ball off. We must defend very well. They are one of the most difficult teams to counter.”
