Key Barcelona duo will return vs Athletic Club; midfield mainstay to come back vs Chelsea | OneFootball

After several weeks with a depleted squad due to multiple injuries, a situation that caused the team to struggle, FC Barcelona manager Hansi Flick will finally receive some good news after the international break.

Indeed, the German tactician is poised to recover some very important players as the Catalans prepare for an important run of fixtures.

Raphinha and Joan Garcia vs Athletic, Pedri returns against Chelsea

According to Mundo Deportivo, Flick will recover three of his key men at once – Raphinha, Joan Garcia, and Pedri – after the international break.

Raphinha, who was due to return in El Clasico after suffering a right hamstring injury on 25 September against Real Oviedo, will rejoin full training with the team from next Tuesday and will be fit to make the squad against Athletic Club on Saturday, 22 November.

Set to return soon. (Photo by Judit Cartiel/Getty Images)

Joan Garcia, who was also injured in the same match and even required arthroscopic surgery, has been training with the group for several days and will be available to start in goal against Athletic – a game which could see Barça return to the Spotify Camp Nou.

The only uncertainty remains Pedri, who was sidelined with a muscle injury he sustained during the Clasico defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Although the Canary Islander’s recovery is progressing very well, he is practically ruled out for the Athletic fixture.

The current objective is for Flick to have him available for the Champions League match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, 25 November, just three days after the encounter against the Basque club.

It would leave Gavi and Marc-Andre ter Stegen as the only absentees for Barcelona, with both players unlikely to return this year.