Barcelona are all set to resume their campaign on Sunday, as they take on Athletic Club at home.
This will be the start of a tricky round of fixtures that will pit the Catalans against Shakhtar Donetsk and Real Madrid over the course of the next ten days.
Starting this period on a positive note, therefore, could be paramount. And to that end, Barça have been handed a major boost heading into the Athletic clash.
Balde & Yamal in good shape
Yesterday, it was reported that both Lamine Yamal and Alejandro Balde had returned to group training ahead of Sunday’s match.
Now, Sergi Capdevila has offered an update, suggesting that both Barcelona youngsters look in good shape heading into the game.
That means both players could be in feature against the Basque outfit, which would serve as a major sigh of relief for coach Xavi Hernandez.
Yamal had suffered some discomfort during the last league game against Granada and had to be withdrawn from Spain duty during the international break.
As for Balde, he had a minor adductor issue while playing for Spain and returned to Barcelona after the UEFA Euro qualifier against Scotland.
But both have trained with the team over the past couple of days and appear to be in good shape for the clash on Sunday.
The Barcelona coach has suffered from injuries to various key players lately, so the availability of Yamal and Balde could boost his team’s chances this weekend.
Will the two start against Athletic Club?
With Yamal and Balde in good shape heading into the weekend encounter, will it tempt Xavi to start both of them against Athletic?
Marcos Alonso would be the likely starter if Xavi decides to rest Alejandro Balde against the Basque club.
As for the attacking positions, Xavi is without the services of Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha and Yamal’s availability will thus be a big boost.
Should the teenage sensation get rested, Xavi is likely to opt for the attacking trifecta of Fermin Lopez, Ferran Torres, and Joao Felix.
However, given the limited options, Yamal is more than likely to feature as a substitute, provided he does not start against Athletic Club in the first place.