Barcelona receive injury boost ahead of pre-season El Clasico

There were two notable absentees from the Barcelona squad in the previous friendly against Inter Milan, which saw the Catalans dismantle their opposition 6-0.

Although there were many positives from that game, Xavi would have ideally wanted to have two of his key players available, in the form of Ferran Torres and Gerard Pique.

Torres has not been in the best of form since a promising start to his Barcelona career. The forward has appeared quite inconsistent while his lack of effectiveness in front of goal has forced Barcelona to bring in newer players this summer.

Gerard Pique, meanwhile, has endured a rough year altogether, rife with controversies off the pitch. The defender was involved in the Spanish Supercup deal with Saudi Arabia while he also broke up with his long-time partner Shakira.

The veteran also suffered a thigh injury in the first leg against Eintracht Frankfurt. Since then, he has only featured in the game against Mallorca in La Liga, missing the entirety of the final stretch of last season.

For Barcelona, it is imperative that these two players return to action and perform well in the pre-season. Their performances in the new season could go a long way in determining the fate of Barça.

To that end, the Catalans were handed a major boost as Ferran Torres has started training with the team during Xavi’s first training session in the United States. The attacker was involved in the thick of things and should be available for the upcoming friendly against Real Madrid, reports Diario AS.

The Spanish publication has also offered an update on the future of Pique and it appears the veteran is recovering slower than expected. He did take part in training sessions earlier this month but he is yet to return to full fitness.

Although Pique was desperate to feature against Real Madrid, he is likely to be ruled out for the clash as the Barcelona team doctors continue to be cautious with the ageing defender.

Barcelona face their arch-rivals on July 24, a game that should witness the unofficial debut of new signing Robert Lewandowski.