Alarm De Jong!

The FC Barcelona continues its preparation with its eyes set on the big match of the weekend. Until this Thursday, Hansi Flick remained calm thanks to the positive progress of Ferran Torres and Raphinha, but a new concern has arisen in the squad: Frenkie de Jong did not participate in the session due to physical discomfort. The midfielder attended the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper, although the club´s doctors gave him permission to return home. Andreas Christensen also did not train, as he is still recovering from an intestinal issue that already prevented him from participating against Olympiacos. The Danish center-back was present at the facilities but did not join the group. All of this happens just 72 hours before the classic at the Santiago Bernabéu. It will be crucial to observe the evolution of both players in the coming days. To compensate for the absences, the German coach called upon Andrés Cuenca from the reserve team, who joined the training to strengthen the defense.

Good news in the attack

The positive side of the day is represented by Ferran Torres and Raphinha, who worked normally. The Valencia winger, who was already included in the squad against Olympiacos, and the Brazilian completed all the exercises with the rest of the team. Both are fully recovered and wish to be available for the classic. On the other hand, Ter Stegen, Joan Garcia, Gavi, Lewandowski, and Dani Olmo remain out due to injury, so they are ruled out for the match on Sunday.

Barça reorganizes

The offensive outlook is clearing up for Hansi Flick, who will be able to reshape his attack with more options. Everything points to Lamine Yamal being accompanied by Ferran Torres, while the question is whether Raphinha will start or come in from the bench. In any case, Rashford is going through a great moment and could remain in the offensive line. Raphinha´s return will allow Fermín to return to his natural position as a playmaker, trying to take advantage of his excellent scoring streak after the ´hat-trick´ achieved against Olympiacos. For now, we will have to wait for the evolution of Frenkie de Jong to decide how the midfield is restructured. If the Dutchman does not make it in time, Marc Casadó would take his place again, as he did in the match against the Greek team when De Jong came on in the second half.