LALIGA SANTANDER
Pedri injury boost for Xavi: when will the Barcelona midfielder be back?
Pedri suffered an injury in the first leg of Barcelona’s Europa League tie against Manchester United but could return sooner than expected.
Barcelona are hopeful that Pedri could return to action earlier than was expected against Athletic Club at San Mamés in just over two weeks. “It’ll be difficult but not impossible” is the general sentiment around the club over whether the midfielder will be fit in time for the trip to the Basque Country, which will be their toughest away game in the second half of the seson.
What injury does Pedri have? Which games will he miss?
Pedri suffered a thigh tear on 16 February in the first leg of Barça’s Europa League tie against Manchester United, which ultimately ended in defeat at Old Trafford on Thursday. Tests carried out suggested the teenager would face a month on the sidelines, which meant he would miss the second leg against the Red Devils, the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final against Real Madrid and four LaLiga games (Cádiz, Almería, Valencia and Athletic).
The ex-Las Palmas starlet was pencilled in to return on 19 March, which just so happened to be the date of El Clásico between Barcelona and Real Madrid at Camp Nou. However, both Pedri and the medical team are happy with how his recovery is going and, as AS has learned, there is now a small chance that he could be back in action against Athletic at San Mamés on 12 March.
Were that to be the case, it would be a huge boost for boss Xavi Hernández, who has stressed the importance of the Spanish international to his team on a number of occasions. And the fact that Pedri could get some game time under his belt ahead of a crucial match against Real Madrid, which could have a bearing on who wins in the title, would be an added bonus.
When will Ousmane Dembélé be fit to return from injury?
Ousmane Dembélé, however, is not expected to be available before the second league Clásico of the season. The French winger looks likely to be absent for seven weeks in total, as was initially predicted. He has been set the target of returning to play some part against Los Blancos at Camp Nou but, as things stand, there appears to be no chance of him being available before then.