Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has confirmed Pedri is in line to make his return from injury in Saturday’s meeting with Alavés.
Pedri, widely hailed as one of the best midfielders in the world, has not played for Barcelona since his sending off at the end of October’s defeat to Real Madrid, serving a one-game ban while also battling a hamstring injury which have combined to keep him out of the team’s last five games across all competitions.
While Barcelona have won all three La Liga games in Pedri’s absence, their fortunes have not been so positive in the Champions League. A 3–3 draw with Club Brugge left fans frustrated before the midweek 3–0 defeat at the hands of Chelsea landed extreme pressure on Flick’s shoulders.
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Getting Pedri back would be a clear boost to Barcelona and the 23-year-old’s return is now close, with Flick confirming he will see some minutes on Saturday when Alavés visit Camp Nou.
“He’ll get some playing time, but not from the start,” Flick revealed. “We’ll see, he might play some minutes in the first half.”
According to SPORT, Pedri will only be handed a brief cameo against Alavés as Barcelona officials are adamant they will not rush the influential midfielder back into action. The plan is to prepare Pedri for upcoming La Liga meetings with Real Betis and Atlético Madrid, which could be crucial to Barcelona’s hopes of keeping up with Real Madrid in the title race.
Pedri’s return is near. / David Ramos/Getty Images
The crushing nature of the defeat to Chelsea, in which a record-breaking goalscoring run came to a brutal end, has heaped pressure on a Barcelona side which is not particularly used to such emphatic humblings.
Indeed, tensions are so high that there have even been mutterings of a hypothetical departure for winger Lamine Yamal, who Flick has supported in response to a tough outing at Stamford Bridge.
Flick is well aware that an immediate response is needed and believes Pedri’s imminent return, coupled with Raphinha and Marcus Rashford’s gradual comebacks from fitness issues, will spark a swift change.
“When we lose and when we concede three goals, it’s easy to say it wasn’t a good game or that it wasn’t the Barça we’d like to see,” Flick stressed. “Ultimately, some people don’t understand what we need to play with that high defensive line.
“It’s our own style; it’s not just about the defenders. The forwards and midfielders also initiate the press. That’s what I need from the players. The blame seems to fall on the defense, but that’s not fair. If we don’t all press effectively, we’ll have problems, I want to make that clear.
“I said I was optimistic because we did some things well, but we need to improve in attack when we start the press. I want to see what I see in training, and I like what I see. The players are very focused and have a lot of quality. Pedri, Raphinha and Marcus will contribute even more. I have to tell the players what I see.”
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