Barcelona forward could return from injury against Napoli, trained with group today

In a major boost, FC Barcelona could welcome back Joao Felix from injury for their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash against Napoli, reports Toni Juanmarti of SPORT.

After securing a 2-1 win over Celta Vigo in La Liga, Barça take on Napoli in the first leg of their Round of 16 tie on Wednesday away at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Italy.

And Xavi Hernandez might have Joao Felix at his disposal when they fly out to Naples this week.

What happened to Joao Felix?

Felix, 24, has been absent in Barcelona’s recent fixtures due to an ankle injury he suffered in training last month. As a result, he went on to miss the league games against Osasuna, Alaves, Granada, and Celta Vigo.

It was initially anticipated that the Portuguese forward could be out for three weeks and that he might return in time for the game against Napoli.

However, more recently, it was suggested that the Atletico Madrid loanee will not recover in time for the trip to Italy and could come back in early March.

What’s changed?

But as per the report from Toni Juanmarti, Joao Felix has felt a marked improvement in his ankle in the last few hours and could recover in time.

In fact, another report from SPORT also goes on to report that the 24-year-old went on to do part of the training session with the rest of the squad today.

The pain has subsided considerably and the mobility Felix achieved allowed him to dream of at least being able to travel to Naples. In the last few hours, that progression has continued and if there is no setback, the forward will be included in the squad.

There is little to no chance that Joao Felix will start against Napoli, with Xavi expected to go with a four-man midfield setup. But having the option of calling on him later in the game will come as a welcome boost for the Barcelona boss.