Barca believes Pedri and Raphina's return can save the day

According to the latest report from Mundo Deportivo, the Barcelona coaching staff regard Raphinha and Pedri as the team's brightest prospects, with their immediate objective being to secure top spot in the La Liga standings.

It is reported that, facing Chelsea, Barcelona once again exposed the huge gap between itself and top teams, and there is still a long way to go before competing for the Champions League title. 

First, Barcelona will face several crucial matches, including away games against Betis and Villarreal, as well as home games against Atlético Madrid and Frankfurt - the latter is particularly important because losing to Chelsea has made it more difficult for Barcelona to directly qualify for the Round of 16.

In the view of the Barcelona coaching staff, the returns of two key players are the source of hope: Raphinha and Pedri. Raphinha has already made his comeback in the match against Athletic Bilbao and got more playing time in the game against Chelsea. 

He is expected to start in the game against Alavés this Saturday and be fully prepared for the crucial battle against Atlético Madrid next Tuesday. Raphinha's role in the frontline pressing is crucial, and Flick is eager to have his support from the start. 

This also applies to Pedri, who is indispensable in controlling the tempo of the game and retaining possession, so his return - expected to train with the team starting today and be included in the squad for Saturday - will be crucial. 

Although the team showed a disadvantage against Chelsea, the dressing room believes that Araujo's red card changed the course of the game, allowing Chelsea to take advantage of the numerical superiority and gain the upper hand.

They believe that if Ferran Torres had scored during that opportunity early in the game, the outcome of the match might have been completely different, rather than ending in a humiliating 0-3 defeat. 

While analyzing their own mistakes, Barcelona also realizes that there is still much room for improvement, and they are full of confidence in the future. They believe that the worst period has passed. This season, they once faced a situation where seven key players were injured, and now only Gavi and Ter Stegen remain on the injury list. 

Barcelona's short-term goal is to overtake the league leader in the La Liga standings. In the last two rounds of the league, they have narrowed the points gap with Real Madrid and currently trail by only one point.

Barcelona hopes to take advantage of the upcoming two consecutive home games, both of which are scheduled one day earlier than Real Madrid's games. With everything under the team's control, Xavi hopes to fully capitalize on this advantage.