With Pedri and De Jong, the comeback looks achievable
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Pedri is being carefully managed after coming off in the first leg against Atlético, while Frenkie de Jong rejoined part of Thursday’s group session as he targets a return against Espanyol
Inside the club, the view is clear: with Raphinha already sidelined, their hopes of reaching the semifinals hinge on Pedri and De Jong asserting control, dictating the tempo, and giving Barça a sharper attacking edge through possession
- Fernando Polo
Journalist
Barcelona could have its first-choice double pivot back this weekend. Whether they will share significant minutes remains to be seen, but the plan is for Pedri and Frenkie de Jong to start together on Tuesday in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinal against Atlético de Madrid. Within the club, Hansi Flick’s side is far from being written off. However, with a key piece like Raphinha already sidelined through injury, keeping comeback hopes alive is seen as heavily dependent on Pedri and De Jong dictating play and giving Barça a sharper attacking edge through possession.
For now, De Jong returned to partial group training on Thursday and is expected to take part in Friday’s final session ahead of Saturday’s match (12:30 p.m. ET) at Spotify Camp Nou against Espanyol. The Dutch midfielder suffered a distal biceps injury in his right leg during the February 26 training session and has since followed a recovery process without rushing his return. The idea is for him to feature in the second half this weekend to regain match fitness and be ready to start against Atlético.
Pedri, who was substituted at halftime the other day, completed recovery work on Thursday. Flick explained that he had some “discomfort but nothing serious,” adding that he did not want to take any risks. The expectation is that the Canary Islander will not start against Espanyol in order to be fresher for the clash in Madrid.