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.
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 , 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.
