Barcelona midfield ace could return from injury vs Shakhtar Donetsk, youngster likely to be rested

Following the 1-0 win over Athletic Club last night, Barcelona will turn their focus towards the UEFA Champions League as they get set to take on Shakhtar Donetsk in their third Group H clash.

With two wins in two games in Europe thus far, Xavi Hernandez’s men are sitting pretty at the top of the group standings and another win on Wednesday would be a big step towards qualifying for the knockouts.

At the same time, it will also allow Barça to build some crucial momentum ahead of the blockbuster El Clasico later in the week against Real Madrid.

Pedri could receive minutes vs Shakhtar

Injuries and fitness problems remain a concern for Barcelona heading into the midweek encounter against Shakhtar Donetsk.

As per SPORT, there is a very good chance that key midfielder Pedri could make his return from injury against Shakhtar Donetsk and play some minutes in the match.

The 20-year-old has been out on the sidelines since late August due to a thigh injury but is understood to have recovered from his injury fully at this point.

However, Barcelona are taking utmost precaution with Pedri due to fears of relapse, given his track record with muscle injuries.

But there is a strong expectation that Pedri could feature against Shakhtar so that he has some minutes under his belt to prepare for the Clasico at the weekend.

Jules Kounde and Sergi Roberto are practically ruled out of the Real Madrid clash but there is still some hope that the likes of Raphinha, Frenkie de Jong, and Robert Lewandowski might make it back in time for that game.

Alejandro Balde likely to be rested

Another report from SPORT suggests that Barcelona will likely rest young defender Alejandro Balde against Shakhtar Donetsk to keep him ready for the big game versus Real Madrid.

Given that he was dealing with some discomfort in the adductor region during the international break, it was expected that Balde could be given a break against Athletic Club.

But that was not the case as Balde started and played a good chunk of the game against the Basque club before making way for Marcos Alonso.

Xavi explained after the game that the 20-year-old’s substitution was not due to any fitness concerns, saying: “Balde isn’t injured. He was just tired.”

As such, in order to avoid more fatigue, the young left-back could be rested on Wednesday, so that he arrives for El Clasico in optimum condition.