With Raphinha and Joan Garcia back in the dynamics for the team’s game against Athletic Club, Hansi Flick moved one step closer to having a fully-fit squad at his disposal.
Barring Gavi and Marc-Andre Ter Stegen who are yet to return, Pedri is the only significant first-team player currently ruled out of action and the Canary Islander was expected to make it back in time to face Chelsea tomorrow night.
Earlier today, however, it was revealed that the player is indeed ruled out of the Champions League clash midweek as his recovery has not moved quite as fast as the club had hoped.
A complicated situation
As relayed by SER (h/t FCB World) in a recent report, the club physiotherapists see Pedri to be ready for the game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge tomorrow night.
Pedri, Barcelona player
Pedri is ruled out of Chelsea clash. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
Club doctors, however, did not agree on his progress and felt that his recovery would be better delayed until later in the week. After all, the player is too valuable in the scheme of things to be risked.
Pedri will still travel with the team to London to support the team on the night, but his return to the field is expected only to be at the weekend when Barcelona play host to Alaves in La Liga.
What this means for the game against Enzo Maresca’s side, thus, is that Hansi Flick will only have Frenkie de Jong to rely on as a defensive midfielder on the night and must identify a complementary profile to join him in the department.
Dani Olmo would be the natural pick given the trend in recent games, but Eric Garcia’s performance against Athletic Club makes a strong case for him to feature in the midfield tomorrow instead of the usual centre-back position he features in.