Barcelona superstar set to start vs Atletico Madrid but will play 75 minutes at most – report | OneFootball

FC Barcelona will lock horns with Atletico Madrid tomorrow night at the Spotify Camp Nou, aiming to overturn a four-goal deficit from the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal.

Even though it looks like an insurmountable task, the Blaugrana go into the game riding high on confidence after back-to-back wins over Levante and Villarreal.

Moreover, Hansi Flick will also be able to count on key players who were unavailable for the first leg last month – Pedri and Raphinha.

Pedri to start against Atletico Madrid

In fact, according to journalist Roger Arbusa on Catalunya Radio, Pedri is all set to start against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night.

The Barcelona midfield maestro missed the first leg due to a hamstring injury he had picked up in late January that kept him out of action for a month.

The 23-year-old midfielder made his comeback against Levante, featuring as a substitute. And, while he was expected to start last weekend versus Villarreal, Flick opted to leave him out of the lineup and use him off the bench in the second period.

Set to start. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

However, on Tuesday, Pedri, having gained rhythm and match fitness, is expected to feature from the get-go against Atletico Madrid.

But the report states that the midfield superstar will be unable to play the entire 90 minutes against Los Rojiblancos and can only feature for 75 minutes at the most.

With Frenkie de Jong ruled out with injury for over a month, it makes sense for Barcelona to manage Pedri’s workload carefully, as losing him at this juncture to another injury could be detrimental to their campaign.

The midfielder, for his part, is confident that there will be no problems moving forward.

“Injuries are something that can happen in football. Last season was spectacular in that regard, but I knew that at some point they could happen. The important thing is to stop and enjoy the good times that are coming,” he said in a recent interview.