Barcelona take on Real Madrid in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal on Thursday night in a rather difficult situation. Xavi Hernandez will be without his top guns including Pedri, Ousmane Dembele and Robert Lewandowski at Santiago Bernabeu and it is safe to say that the Catalans are in trouble.
The Polish striker’s absence from the game was announced yesterday and leaves Xavi with few options in attack. Ansu Fati’s expected return, however, comes as the one silver lining.
According to a surprising report from Adria Albets, the young forward has still not returned to training with the group. The idea is for Fati to join training tomorrow and directly play the Clasico on Thursday night.
The one clear deduction from the situation is that the player is still not 100% fit. It appears that the club are rushing his return just to ensure that the manager has options available for the vital game at Santiago Bernabeu.
Fati does not have the best of histories with injuries in his short career. The youngster spent the better part of two years on the sidelines and had to undergo repeated surgeries to make a comeback to professional football.
The Clasico is indeed important, but fielding Fati with just one training session under his belt could prove costly for Xavi in the long run. Given the trying times in Catalonia, the manager just cannot afford to lose another player to a long-term injury.
The first leg of the tie will be played at Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday night and the second leg is scheduled close to 40 days later.
Notably, however, the two rivals will face off against each other in La Liga once between the two legs. For Barcelona to stand a chance on all fronts, Xavi’s man-management will be one of the most crucial components.