As Barcelona prepare to take on Real Sociedad, it has emerged that centre-back Ronald Araujo and midfielder Pedri did not train with the rest of the squad.
The team returned to training on Thursday ahead of their home game against Real Sociedad, set to be played on Saturday. While there are still four more games to play, this will be the first time that Barcelona will take the field since being crowned the new champions of La Liga.
As part of the build-up, the likes of Araujo and Pedri were allowed to take a break from training after reportedly bearing the consequences and discomfort they picked up during the derby against Espanyol. Both players were taken off in the second half during the 4-2 win against the local rivals.
Journalist Javi Miguel has reported via AS that both Araujo and Pedri could be rested for Saturday’s clash against Real Sociedad. They might not be included in the matchday squad altogether.
On the other hand, Gavi will miss the fixture as well, as he will serve his automatic suspension after receiving his 10th yellow card of the season.
Now, since the league title is already in the bag, the remaining matches will be key for some fringe players. It has been reported that Xavi will want to make full use of his squad depth against Sociedad, meaning that Inaki Pena could replace Marc-Andre ter Stegen between the sticks.
Above all, players such as Pablo Torre, Eric Garcia, Marcos Alonso, Ansu Fati and even Franck Kessie are also expected to get minutes ahead of the regular first-team starters. As part of the shuffle, Ousmane Dembele might also return to the starting XI.
The Frenchman has not started a game for Barcelona ever since returning from the injury that he picked up in January. All in all, the fans can expect a very different lineup on Saturday.