“Recover, rest and disconnect.” This is what Xavi Hernández requested for the 48 hours following the Shakhtar match. He points out that once again several of his players finished the duel with cramps. Some, like Gündogan, Romeu and Lamine Yamal, a youth player, because they have played, as starters or substitutes, in all 13 games. Others, like Iñigo Martínez, because they come from inactivity and are adapting to the concatenation of efforts. After João Félix’s scare ended in one blow, today Barcelona will hold its last training session and the coach will know for sure which players he counts on to receive Real Madrid.
The calendar has wreaked havoc on both teams, but the Barcelona fans hoped to regroup for the classic. However, on Thursday the only injured person – of six – who did part of the work with the group was Raphinha, who suffered a muscle injury on September 29 and has barely lost any rhythm.
The Brazilian is the one with the most numbers to reappear, but he is not the only one that Barça has in mind. Lewandowski and Frenkie de Jong suffered an identical injury: a sprained ankle. The Pole damaged it due to a foul by a Porto defender (October 4), and the Dutchman dropped Bamba on it (September 23). They both want to hurry. “Everyone is very eager, but we will not force anyone,” Xavi acknowledges. Due to the nature and the affected area, it is feasible to play with some pain, there are even methods to alleviate it. For Lewandowski it would not be the first time that he infiltrated to play a classic. He did it last year in the Cup. So they could be a surprise. always starting on the bench.
One, two, three or none. Xavi understands that recovering any of those pieces would be a emotional blow for his squad, decimated numerically and by the weight of casualties. He is not wrong. You just have to remember that on March 19, in the previous League classic, Barça won 2-1 – at the Camp Nou – and Koundé, De Jong, Sergi Roberto, Raphinha and Lewandowski started, although who scored the final goal about the hour it was Kessié, who is no longer here.
The Blaugrana doubts contrast with the security of Jude Bellingham. “I will be in the classic,” the English footballer stated emphatically in an interview with TVE. Real Madrid’s star signing was substituted in Braga with two minutes left and did not take the field yesterday in Valdebebas. He was undergoing treatment with the physiotherapists because he is still carrying a load in his adductors after playing with his country’s national team, in Seville and in the Champions League.
There is a lot of peace among the Madrid coaching staff that the Englishman, their best player, will be in full condition to play their first official classic –not counting the one in Texas in the preseason–. Bellingham has taken over from Benzema as the finisher of the white attacks. He has 11 goals in 12 games, when last season at Borussia Dortmund he scored 14 in 40.
On the other hand, Arda Güler, the young Turkish promise who has not yet made her debut, will not wear shorts tomorrow either as she does not want to be pressured.
At Barcelona they also rule out Pedri after he could not play a few minutes against Shakhtar. That was the plan with the Canarian, who has been out since the end of August due to a tear in his right anterior rectum, but the midfielder has not had the best feelings, and he would also arrive very short of preparation, since he has already missed 11 games. Koundé and Sergi Roberto, who were the last two to fall, have never had real options.