Coach Hansi Flick confirmed good news for Barcelona ahead of their La Liga clash with Elche, as two crucial players, Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo, have both recovered from injuries and are ready to return.
In the pre-match press conference, the German tactician stated that both Lewandowski and Dani Olmo have fully rejoined training with the team this week and will be included in the match squad. However, Flick remains cautious about their playing time:
“Regarding Lewy and Dani, we need to assess how long they can play and how well they adapt before making decisions about the upcoming matches against Club Brugge and Celta Vigo,” he shared. “Maintaining a high level of performance is difficult without a full squad. But with Lewy and Dani back, I can clearly see an improvement in training quality. Not just them, but the young players are also progressing.”
The duo Lewandowski and Dani Olmo have resumed training (Photo: GOAL)
The return of Lewandowski and Olmo is considered a significant boost for Barcelona, especially as the team faces a personnel crisis. Pedri recently suffered a hamstring injury during the El Clásico against Real Madrid and will be sidelined for several weeks. Meanwhile, Barca’s injury list still includes players like Gavi, Raphinha, goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen, and defender Andreas Christensen.
Given this situation, Coach Flick has had to call up several young players from Barca Atletic (Barcelona B) to the first team. Names such as Mamadou Mbacke, Dro Fernandez, and Xavi Espart have been confirmed to participate in the final training session before facing Elche.
Young Filipino-origin player Dro Fernandez might be given an opportunity by Coach Hansi Flick (Photo: AS)
With the return of two experienced attacking stars, Barca can feel more confident in regaining their rhythm and creativity in offense. The match against Elche also presents a chance for Lewandowski to regain his form after a long absence, while Dani Olmo is expected to bring additional flexibility to the playing style that Hansi Flick is trying to develop.
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