FC BARCELONA
FC Barcelona midfielders Pedri and Frenkie De Jong return to the squad for the LaLiga Santander game vs Atlético Madrid
The two midfielders have been huge losses for the Catalan side over recent weeks, and their return comes at a good time for the club.
Rejoice! Prayers have been answered after what seems like an eternity without the diminutive figure of Pedro González ‘Pedri’ gloriously and gracefully ice-skating across the pitch for FC Barcelona. But there he is, with his smiling face and boyband haircut, in the squad list to face Atlético Madrid in a game that will serve the Catalan club the chance to turn around their recent run of drab, lifeless performances that we have seen over recent weeks. And Frenkie de Jong is back, too.
The Dutchman, despite my ironic passiveness about his return to the fold, had become an integral part of Xavi’s tactical spiderweb that has seen Barça surge to the top of the league and not look back. Thigh injuries for both players have seen them on the sidelines for over a month in Pedri’s case and just under 4 weeks for Frenkie, so it is welcome news that now they have both been cleared to return to the team.
Pedri may give the spark needed to turn around recent form
Six days separated the consecutive goalless draws that FC Barcelona put out against Girona and then Getafe; the players are not ‘on the beach’ yet a considerable gap to second, especially after the recent Clásico win in LaLiga, has caused the urgency to scramble for points to diminish, as the Catalan club look almost certain to get their first title win since 2019.
That season, Real Madrid came third behind neighbours Atlético Madrid, who have the chance against Barça to overtake Los Blancos in the table with a win on Sunday. A win or draw for Madrid against Celta on Saturday 22 would see them take a step away from Atlético for another week, but given the fact Madrid are playing in both the Copa del Rey and the Champions League, second place is definitely an option for Simeone’s side.
