FC Barcelona had a memorable start to the 2026-27 season as they beat Elche with a 5-0 scoreline in their first game of the new season. The Blaugranes are now set to play their second game on Thursday, when they will be facing quite a difficult opponent, Athletic Club.
The Catalan team is already preparing for this game, which is going to be their first match at the Spotify Camp Nou this season, and Hansi Flick led a training session to prepare for this match on Wednesday.
According to [Mundo Deportivo](https://www.mundodeportivo.com/futbol/fc-barcelona/20260826/1004219904/gavi-no-entrena-ultima-sesion-barca-recibir-athletic-club.html), one of the notable features of this session was the absence of the midfielder Gavi, who did not train with the rest of his teammates and worked individually at the club facilities. He had suffered a knock during the game against Elche, and was subbed out with only a few seconds remaining in the first half.
The coaching staff is expected to continue monitoring his progress in the coming few hours. However, with the next match scheduled to take place on Thursday, his participation in this game is almost ruled out.
On the other hand, the new signing Rodri Hernandez continued to train with his new teammates after having joined them a few sessions ago. With the way he is working in training, he looks highly likely to make his debut in a Barcelona shirt in the game against Athletic Club.
Meanwhile, another midfielder, Frenkie de Jong also remained absent from training, as he continues with his recovery from his injury. Flick also called up several players from the reserve and youth teams, including Hamza Abdelkarim, Alvaro Cortes, Xavi Espart, Brian Farinas and Eder Aller.
Hopefully, Gavi will be able to get back to his best level soon, as Hansi Flick and [Barcelona confirmed that he was not suffering from anything serious](https://barcanewsnetwork.com/barcelona-receive-good-news-following-gavi-injury-blow/). But the German coach is not likely to take any risks with him, which seems to be the best way going forward keeping in view the hard time the Spaniard already has had with physical problems.