By Finley Crebolder
Barcelona will be looking to win a third game in a row when they face Athletic Club, but injuries will make it more difficult to do so.
Xavi’s side had a mixed start to 2023, extending their lead over Real Madrid at the top of La Liga and beating their rivals in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg, but losing to Almeria and being knocked out of the Europa League from Manchester United.
Pedri’s absence played a big part in those disappointing results, with the midfielder sidelined with a thigh problem in mid-February.
Here’s what his chances of playing in Bilbao look like, and the rest of the squad news for the visitors.
News on the suspension of Barcelona against Athletic Club
Barcelona only managed to beat Valencia last time out, earning a 1-0 victory, and this is largely due to Ronald Araujo’s red card.
As a result, defenders will be unavailable for the match against Athletic Club, with either Eric Garcia or Marcos Alonso likely to replace him and team-mate Andres Christensen.
No other Barcelona players are suspended for the match, which is good for Xavi given his injury problems…
Barcelona injury news against Athletic Club
Probably Barcelona’s two most important players this season have been Pedri and Robert Lewandowski, and both have suffered thigh problems.
The striker has not played since the last weekend in March, missing two games, while the Spaniard has been absent for six games. Ousmane Dembele has been out for even longer, missing the last eight clashes.
Which will become nine with the French still to recover from a muscle problem, and while Lewandowski seems destined to return and Frankie Young seems to have shrugged off a small blow against Valencia, things are not going so well as far as Pedri is concerned.
Will Pedri be back for Barcelona?
The match in the Basque Country appears to have come too soon for Pedri, who is still recovering from his problem.
A problem like that usually takes around a month to heal, and with a crucial El Clasico coming up next weekend, Xavi will be reluctant to get his compatriot back into action just over three weeks after sustaining the injury.
Given that De Jong is also likely to be fully fit, it seems almost certain that Pedri will miss this game and focus on returning in time to face Real Madrid.
This article was originally posted on 90min.com as Does Pedri play today? News on the suspension and injuries of Barcelona against Athletic Club.
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