Barcelona midfielder Pedri says he’s eager to give fans an early Christmas present by beating Atletico Madrid on Saturday night.
The game is the team’s last match of 2024 and victory would see the Catalans spend the Christmas break on top of the table in Spain.
However, Barca will need to improve after some underwhelming performances recently, and Pedri says it’s time to get back on track.
> “It’s a game to reverse what we’re doing in the league, we want to get out of the shock,” he told the media.
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> “And what better way to do it than in a nice game, in front of our fans and against a great rival. We want this Christmas present for the people.”
[Barca will be without Lamine Yamal for the game](https://www.barcablaugranes.com/2024/12/16/24322338/bad-news-barcelona-offer-lamine-yamal-injury-update-ahead-of-crunch-atletico-madrid-clash) due to injury but Pedri says the team must be able to cope without their teenaged superstar.
> “It’s tough, he gives us a lot,” he added.
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> “But we must focus on the squad we have, we can’t depend on anyone and with what we have we can beat any rival. We must win the match.”
Hansi Flick’s side have struggled without Yamal in the starting XI this season but have won without their wonderkid and will hope to do so again on Saturday.