It is good news, bad news, when it comes to the FC Barcelona injury/fitness situation, on this Catalan Derby Eve. Frenkie de Jong could return to action tomorrow at the Camp Nou, having recovered from a longer-term hamstring injury. While it will be great to get De Jong back, there is some bad hamstring related news to share. Pedri is having some issues with that part of the body. He suffered some discomfort in the midweek loss to Atletico Madrid and he is now expected to miss out on Saturday.
Catalan Derby FYIs
FC Barcelona vs Espanyol FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. April 11, 5:30pm, Camp Nou, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
La Liga Position, Form: FC Barcelona 1st, 76 pts WWWWW Espanyol, 10th, 38 pts, DDLLD
Google Result Probability: Barcelona 86% Draw 9% Espanyol 5%
FC Barcelona Team News
Elsewhere Marc Bernal is also having issued with that muscle group, as his thigh injury makes him a strong doubt for this one. He’s likely going to miss out while Raphinha and Andreas Christensen are definitely ruled out. UCL in midweek was very rough for Barca, as an extremely questionable red card totally changed the complexion of that game and put them behind the eight ball in the continental competition tie.
However, things look good domestically, as the Blaugranes have opened up a seven point lead at the top of the table over arch-rivals Real Madrid.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.