BARCELONA
Pedri injury update: Barcelona midfielder will travel to Saudi Arabia for Spanish Super Cup
The FC Barcelona midfielder is still overcoming a recent injury setback, but there is good news for the player as we move into 2024.
The possibility of Pedri making the Super Cup a topic on everyone’s mind at FC Barcelona. AS understands that the intention of the coaching staff, with a hypothetical final appearance in mind, is to include the midfielder on the trip to Saudi Arabia on January 9, despite not yet having the medical clearance.
As of today, Pedri is not only completely ruled out for the first game of the year, on January 4 against Las Palmas (3.30 p.m. ET / 12.30 p.m. PT.), his presence in the Copa del Rey against Barbastro, three days later, is also not a possibility, nor is the semi-final of the Spanish Super Cup on January 11 against Osasuna.
The only way the player could start a game for Barça is if his side make the final; this will, of course, depend on the evolution of his recovery and, above all, Pedri’s personal feelings.
What injury does Pedri have?
It should be remembered that Pedri suffered a so-called “minor muscle injury”, as stated in the mysteriously concise medical statement issued by the club two weeks ago. This came shortly after the news was broken by Joan Laporta himself, who acted as a medical spokesperson at the Christmas lunch organised by the club with various journalists in attendance.
The player has once again suffered an injury in the same area of the previous one - his right thigh - which had him almost three months in the recovery room earlier in the season. Therefore, any small, tentative steps are paramount in the process, with every decision taking into account the player’s history of muscle injuries and his various setbacks.
When will Pedri be back?
Despite the extreme caution from the LaLiga side when it comes to confirming what’s actually wrong with Pedri, the approximate time off that is calculated is said to be close to a month, meaning that in the best case scenario, Pedri could theoretically be back for the final of the Spanish Super Cup, if Barcelona beat Osasuna in the semi-final.
It would be necessary to evaluate the level of risk that the player, the staff and the doctors would be willing to take on, if the opportunity to play the final finally presents itself to Pedri. We must not forget that every player wants to play every game, but the fear of a long-term physical issue is a real danger for the ex-Las Palmas man.
Pedri will not be rushed back by anyone at Barcelona
Since Xavi’s arrival, FC Barcelona have always tried to be very cautious when it comes to forcing the return of injured players. Under the motto ‘zero risk’, the doctors have always tried to take extreme care, but despite all this work of prevention and individualised control, players like Ansu Fati or Pedri have not managed to escape from the constant spiral of injuries, making it difficult to assess what the reasons behind the relapses are.
While we wait on the signing promised by Joan Laporta to Barça’s midfield this winter, Xavi will have to face the first matches of the year with a second-string midfield, one in which Frenkie de Jong and Ilkay Gündogan will be tasked with holding the rest of the side together. Accompanied by captain Sergi Roberto, who gained a lot of momentum after his fantastic display against Almería, the spirited young Fermín López and Oriol Romeu are all waiting in the ranks for their moment on the pitch.