Is Ilkay Gündogan fit to play for Barcelona this weekend?

Ilkay Gündogan completed training with Barcelona on Friday after suffering an injury on international duty with Germany. Fortunately, for the Catalan club, it was just a scare.

The tests the midfielder underwent have confirmed that it was only a bruise in the pelvic region, but that in no case would prevent him from being available for the match against Betis. However, Gündogan is still a doubt for the league game, especially with the team’s Champions League opener on Tuesday. Xavi may decide to protect the former Manchester City creator.

If Gündogan is left out, the in-form Ferran Torres could start. The forward’s excellent performances and goals have not gone unnoticed by the coaching staff, who could be considering giving him a place in the eleven.

Lamine Yamal

Another player who could also continue as a starter is Lamine Yamal. It would be a third consecutive start for the 16-year-old if he does get the nod. Raphinha only arrived from international duty on Thursday so he may start on the bench, and even more so with a view to Tuesday’s game against Royal Antwerp.

Christensen could be rested

Two other players are also in with a good chance of making the starting eleven on Saturday: Joao Cancelo and Inigo Martínez. The Portuguese full-back looks set to be the mainstay at right-back, while the Basque centre-back could come in for Denmark’s Andras Christensen, who has been struggling with a series of niggles of late.

There was a heavy downpour in Barcelona on Friday which forced the coaching staff to shorten the session to avoid any injuries. Only Ronald Araújo and Pedri were absent. Xavi was also able to count on two players from the reserve team: Marc Casadó and Unai Hernández.