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Pedri returns to the end of a tunnel that has been repeated many times since his second season at Barça. Endless time in the infirmary. On this occasion, the midfielder has been on the sidelines for 72 days due to an injury to the anterior rectus of his right thigh suffered on August 24, shortly after the Canary Islander was decisive for the Blaugrana to achieve their first win in La Liga against a Cádiz side they defeated 2-0.

Pedri, who has been medically cleared, is the big news in Xavi Hernandez's squad for a match against Real Sociedad in which Barça will be looking to turn the page after the defeat against Real Madrid. A classic that, according to the forecasts, was going to be the reappearance of the Tenerife native. But Barça's medical and technical departments did not want to rush in order to avoid the relapses of previous occasions.

"Pedri's absence has not been delayed. In the end, they have been the deadlines that we thought were appropriate. He's feeling good, he's 100% ready, he's made the list and it's great news for us." "The goal, now, is to be physically fit, and not only Pedri, but all the players. We work a lot on injury prevention and hopefully both he and all the others can have that continuity that is so necessary to show his level at Barça. For us, he is a fundamental player, because he allows us to dominate the game," said Xavi, who is well aware of the importance of Pedri in the midfield game.

Weak musculature

In these roles, the Tenerife native shines with his own light. Both at Barça and in the national team. Since the 2021-22 academic year, however, that light has been overshadowed, time and again, by weak musculature. The first came on September 14, 2021, during the Barça-Bayern Champions League playoff and after a summer in which he won the European Championship and the Olympic Games. Then, a quadriceps injury in his left leg condemned him to 11 days out. His return, perhaps, was somewhat hasty. Just four days later, in this case in a Benfica-Barça match also in the Champions League, he had a relapse that forced him to spend 102 days in the infirmary, in a convalescence in which he was also sick for about a week with coronavirus.

Just when it seemed that his physique was going to leave him alone in a particularly bitter 2021-22 season, his second most serious injury arrived: a tear in the femoral biceps suffered on April 15, 2022, in that second leg of the quarterfinals of the Europa League in which Barça were thrashed by Eintracht Frankfurt, and that he was sentenced to inactivity for 77 days. In the following season, 2022-23, he continued to be haunted by physical problems. On February 2, 2023, in the first leg of the preliminary round of the Europa League knockout rounds against Manchester United, the nightmare returned, with an injury to the anterior rectus of the right thigh, for which he was out for 64 days.

De Jong, not yet

Just over three weeks after being cleared after losing to Manchester United, he was injured again. On that occasion, during the derby against Espanyol that lifted his team to the top of La Liga. Non-specific muscle discomfort forced him to miss the rest of the season and spend 46 days in the infirmary. He started this season with good feelings, which were cut short by what has been, so far, his third most serious injury as a member of the Barça squad.

Now, apparently, the sun is shining again for Pedri. His feelings ahead of the match against Real Sociedad are really good and he could get some minutes. Quite the opposite is true of Frenkie de Jong, who, after suffering a right ankle injury against Celta, still does not feel ready. The Dutch midfielder, who was called up for last week's match against Real Madrid, wants to give himself more time. Another who doesn't want to rush either.

  • FC Barcelona
  • Real Madrid
  • Real Sociedad
  • Xavi Hernandez
  • Pedri
  • Frenkie de Jong