Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski will return to the Barcelona starting lineup against Real Sociedad at the Reale Arena on Saturday.
Barcelona will be eager to return to winning ways when they lock horns with Real Sociedad at the Reale Arena on Saturday night. And Xavi Hernandez has greeted a positive update on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Pedri has resumed training and returned to the travelling squad to take on Real Sociedad this weekend. The Spanish midfielder’s return means Frenkie de Jong and Sergi Roberto are the only players on the sidelines.
While de Jong has also resumed training, he is not fit enough to be part of the squad. Meanwhile, Roberto is a longer-term absentee for the away side. Xavi discussed the fitness update on Pedri and de Jong during his pre-match press conference.
He said, “His [Pedri] return has not been delayed. He is one hundred percent. I see him ready. It’s great news for the team. The goal for everyone is to be physically fit. We work a lot on injury prevention. For me he’s a fundamental player. I hope he can have continuity to show that he’s worth a lot.”
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“It depends on his [Frenkie de Jong] feelings. Pedri has a good feeling, but Frenkie hasn’t yet. He has tried but he is in pain. Injuries are going well, calm down. 30% of the questions are about injuries. Frenkie has a bad feeling, it hurts.”
While Pedri is back in the squad, Xavi will likely ease the Spaniard into the thick of the action. So, he will start on the bench, with Gavi, Oriol Romeu, and Ilkay Gundogan forming the midfield trifecta. Fermin Lopez and Pedri will be backup options on the bench.
Meanwhile, the offensive unit should see wholesale changes, with Joao Felix being the only player to retain his spot. Ferran Torres will drop to the bench, with Robert Lewandowski spearheading the attack against Real Sociedad. Raphinha will complete the numbers in the final third, leaving Lamine Yamal on the bench.
As for the backline, with Xavi going back to the 4-3-3, Andreas Christensen and Inigo Martinez will drop to the bench. Jules Kounde will return to the starting lineup to form the central defensive unit alongside Ronald Araujo. Joao Cancelo and Alejandro Balde should be the two full-backs, with Marc-Andre ter Stegen taking his spot between the sticks.
Predicted Barcelona XI: ter Stegen; Cancelo, Araujo, Kounde, Balde; Gavi, Romeu, Gundogan; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Felix
