Barcelona trio close to receiving medical discharge ahead of Atletico Madrid clash

In a major boost, as reported by Victor Navarro, Barcelona trio Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, and Ousmane Dembele participated in full team training today and are close to receiving their medical discharge ahead of the Atletico Madrid clash.

Dembele has been sidelined for the longest time among the aforementioned trio, having picked up a hamstring injury in late January against Girona.

The winger had been expected to be out for just five to six weeks initially, but has not played for close to three months now. However, he has been doing part training sessions with the team over this week, indicating that a return was close.

Pedri, meanwhile, has been out on the treatment tables since mid-February when he was injured against Manchester United. The 20-year-old was expected to be back in time for the La Liga El Clasico against Real Madrid in March, but suffered a minor relapse.

As a result, his comeback was pushed to a later date, with the club unwilling to take any risks with the Spaniard given his importance to the team as well as his past injury record. Pedri, though, had been doing parts of team training under Xavi this week heading into the Atletico clash.

As for De Jong, he sustained an injury during March’s league Clasico, following which he has been out for over a month. It was expected that the Dutchman could be back for the clash against Getafe last week itself, but Xavi & co. decided not to rush his return.

Now, though, Pedri, Dembele and De Jong have participated in their first full training session since their respective injuries and could receive the medical green light ahead of the Atletico Madrid clash. There is another training session tomorrow, following which a call will be made.

However, it has widely been reported that both Pedri and De Jong are fit enough to start against the Rojiblancos. As for Dembele, it has been suggested that he could play a part as a substitute depending on his feelings in training.

Fernando Polo of Mundo Deportivo suggests that it is unlikely that the Frenchman will be involved against Atletico Madrid and Barcelona could wait until the Real Betis clash next week to reintroduce him onto the pitch.

While Pedri, Dembele and De Jong are close to returning, Andreas Christensen is also in the final phase of his recovery and could be back in the team next week.