Barcelona receive injury boost with key midfielder returning in time for PSG clash
Barcelona are set to face their biggest test of the season in three weeks when they take on PSG in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League.
While the Blaugrana’s form has improved vastly over the last month, facing Luis Enrique’s team, chock-full of top talents like Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Achraf Hakimi, and Marco Asensio, among several others will be a huge challenge.
As such, Xavi Hernandez will be hoping to have all his players available for the blockbuster tie, with the first leg to be played in Paris on April 10 and the reverse fixture in Barcelona on April 16.
Huge injury boost
Leading up to the first-leg tie in three weeks, Barcelona have received a massive injury boost as key midfielder Frenkie de Jong is set to be available for the match.
This claim comes from SPORT’s Ferran Correas, who reports that the Netherlands international will recover from his ankle injury in time to face PSG in the first leg at Parc des Princes.
De Jong, Barcelona’s fourth captain, suffered the ankle injury during the game against Athletic Club and has since missed two La Liga encounters and the UEFA Champions League clash against Napoli.
It was suggested that the Dutchman would be ruled out for around a month and as per the aforementioned report, his recovery is going well and the player is meeting the deadlines.
As such, his presence for the first-leg tie against PSG is taken for guarantee by Barcelona, with De Jong expected to miss only one more game – the La Liga clash vs Las Palmas right after the international break.
Crucial player
De Jong is one of the most pivotal players for Xavi and Barcelona and his return from injury in time for the PSG encounter will come as a huge boost for the team.
Should he return, as expected, the 26-year-old is expected to form the midfield trident with Ilkay Gundogan and Andreas Christensen, who will also be available after missing the Atletico Madrid clash due to an Achilles issue.
However, De Jong’s fellow midfielder Pedri is unlikely to be rushed back for the first leg. Gavi and Alejandro Balde will also be unavailable.
