Barcelona hope to have key duo fully fit for Spanish Super Cup semi-final

Barcelona players resumed training today after the mid-season Christmas break as they kickstarted preparation for the next week’s La Liga encounter vs Las Palmas.

Xavi trained with a majority of the first-team stars, but there were some notable absentees during the session.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Marcos Alonso, Inigo Martinez, and Pedri were the biggest names missing as the quartet is currently out sidelined with injuries.

While both Ter Stegen and Alonso are not expected to be back any time soon, there is some hope with the other two.

Barcelona hope to have Martinez, Pedri back for Spanish Super Cup

Indeed, as per SPORT, Pedri and Martinez worked on the sidelines today away from the rest of the group and their sensations will dictate when they return to action for Barcelona.

Martinez suffered a muscle injury during warm-up just before the Atletico Madrid game earlier this month. Pedri, meanwhile, is also dealing with a muscle ailment that led him to miss the Almeria and Club America clashes.

Initial expectations were that the pair would be able to return for Barça’s first game of 2024 against Las Palmas but that no longer seems feasible.

As such, Barcelona’s biggest objective is to have both Pedri and Martinez fit for the Spanish Super Cup semi-final against CA Osasuna on January 11.

It would essentially mean that the pair could miss the Copa del Rey Round of 32 clash against UD Barbastro.

Recent reports had suggested that Pedri’s return might have to wait until the end of January. But it appears that there is still some hope of him making a comeback earlier than that.