After the international break, Barcelona will play Athletic Club on Sunday to start their season again.
The Catalans, who are now three points behind league leaders Real Madrid and coming off a dismal stalemate with Granada, have to win this game.
And despite the growing number of injuries, Barcelona seems to have gained a significant advantage going into this Sunday’s match.
Barcelona Duo Balde and Yamal Return
Prior to the match against Athletic Club, Toni Juanmarti provided a new update on Barcelona’s squad news.
Alejandro Balde and Lamine Yamal are training with the group, the journalist has confirmed. Together with the rest of their colleagues, they were both present for today’s training session.
It should be mentioned that Yamal and Balde were both dealing with minor injuries. They were unlikely to play for the Athletic Club.
Yamal did not go with the Spain team for the international break. This was after experiencing some discomfort during the match against Granada.
Balde, meanwhile, had to make his way back to the team from the Spain camp following their match against Scotland because of some minor adductor soreness.
However, it seems that both are training regularly and should play in the game on Sunday at home. This validates previous reports that made similar claims.
Insight into Other Injuries
Despite the possibility of Balde and Yamal playing in Sunday’s match against Athletic, other injured Barcelona players could still have to wait.
It is quite doubtful that players like Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde, and Frenkie de Jong will be able to play again this week; hence, they are eliminated from the tie.
Ronald Araujo, in the meantime, is returning after a demanding foreign vacation. He is a doubt against Athletic Club because, despite having played for Uruguay, it is anticipated that he would return to training very late.
Even the Spaniard might not play this weekend since Barcelona is not going to take any chances with Pedri.
With only a few alternatives left, Xavi must lead his squad to victory over the Basque team. That being said, the coach of Barça may be relieved to have Balde and Yamal back.
