FC Barcelona announce squad list against Atletico Madrid: Pedri returns, Araujo & Lewwandowski lead, Raphinha in
The two midfielders have been huge losses for the Catalan side over recent weeks, and their return comes at a good time for the club.
Rejoice! Prayers have been answered after what seems like an eternity without the diminutive figure of Pedro González ‘Pedri’ gloriously and gracefully ice-skating across the pitch for FC Barcelona. But there he is, with his smiling face and boyband haircut, in the squad list to face Atlético Madrid in a game that will serve the Catalan club the chance to turn around their recent run of drab, lifeless performances that we have seen over recent weeks. And Frenkie de Jong is back, too.
The Dutchman, despite my ironic passiveness about his return to the fold, had become an integral part of Xavi’s tactical spiderweb that has seen Barça surge to the top of the league and not look back. Thigh injuries for both players have seen them on the sidelines for over a month in Pedri’s case and just under 4 weeks for Frenkie, so it is welcome news that now they have both been cleared to return to the team.
Pedri may give the spark needed to turn around recent form
Six days separated the consecutive goalless draws that FC Barcelona put out against Girona and then Getafe; the players are not ‘on the beach’ yet a considerable gap to second, especially after the recent Clásico win in LaLiga, has caused the urgency to scramble for points to diminish, as the Catalan club look almost certain to get their first title win since 2019.
That season, Real Madrid came third behind neighbours Atlético Madrid, who have the chance against Barça to overtake Los Blancos in the table with a win on Sunday. A win or draw for Madrid against Celta on Saturday 22 would see them take a step away from Atlético for another week, but given the fact Madrid are playing in both the Copa del Rey and the Champions League, second place is definitely an option for Simeone’s side.
Since taking the reins in November 2021, Xavi Hernandez has often given young players the opportunity to appear in matchday squads for the first team. This season, the likes of Angel Alarcon, Aleix Garrido and Estanis Pedrola have all been called up at various times.
The latest to be included is Lamine Yamal, who has been called up to the squad for Sunday’s showdown clash against Atletico Madrid. Yamal is highly regarded at Barcelona, and has trained with the first team on several occasions, but before now, he had not been included in a matchday squad.
At 15 years and 283 days, Yamal is the youngest player to ever be included in a Barcelona first team squad, and he would become the club’s youngest ever player if he comes on against Atletico.
Pedri and Frenkie De Jong have also returned to the Barcelona first team squad. Pedri has been out since mid-February, while De Jong has not played since El Clasico before the international break.
Barcelona will have a tough task of defeating Atletico Madrid on Sunday. Statistically, Diego Simeone’s side have been the best team in Europe since the halfway point of the season, and they will hope to continue that run at the Spotify Camp Nou.