Barcelona Receive Critical Injury Boost Ahead of All-Important Catalan Derby

Slowly but surely Barcelona are putting behind their early season injury woes.

The return of important Barcelona players from injury will bring a smile to Hansi Flick’s face. / Javier Borrego/Europa Press/Getty Images

Barcelona received welcomed news in their first training session following a 10-day break, as Pedri, who missed Barcelona’s last match of 2025 through injury, returned to the pitch ready to feature in the club’s 2026 debut.

La Liga leaders Barcelona returned to training on Tuesday to start preparing for Saturday’s Catalan derby against city-rivals Espanyol. Pedri was able to complete the full session without inconvenience and delivered a promising message in the aftermath to announce he’s overcome a minor hamstring injury.

“I’m good, ready to play,” Pedri said. “I was very eager to train, I had a bit of a [muscular] overload but fortunately I’m doing well now, eager to continue helping the team and enjoying on the pitch.”

We miss your football, Pedri! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/gHDdQb4T4w

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) December 29, 2025

Barcelona enter 2026 carrying an eight game winning-streak in La Liga. The positive run that dates back to the first game of November have seen the reigning champions build a four point lead in the title race over Real Madrid.

“We arrive [to the match] with a good dynamic I think,” Pedri said. “It’s true that Espanyol are having a good season and they won’t make it easy for us at their stadium, but we’ll go for everything, trying to win as always.”

In an open training session in front of over 5,000 fans at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, Hansi Flick was boosted by the return of his midfield maestro, who is ready for the second half of the season. The positive news don’t stop there, though, as another Barcelona midfielder also made his return from injury.

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Dani Olmo Could Return From Injury in First Full Week of January

Olmo (middle) dislocated his shoulder in the Dec. 2 win vs. Atlético Madrid. / Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty Images

For the first time since dislocating his shoulder while scoring the match winner vs. Atlético Madrid on Dec. 2, Dani Olmo returned to the pitch and participated in a portion of Barcelona’s first training session after the holiday period.

There were some fears that Olmo would have to undergo surgery to fix the issue, sidelining him for a considerable period. Fortunately those fears have mitigated, and although he’s not expected to feature against Espanyol, the hope is Olmo is ready to go when Barcelona travel to Saudi Arabia next week looking to defend their Spanish Super Cup crown.

Ronald Araújo also returned to the fold after missing Barcelona’s final seven games of the year due to personal matters. The Uruguayan will be given time to return to peak mental and physical shape, but his presence is a welcomed boost to a suddenly thin center back depth chart.

With the recent returns, Barcelona are the healthiest they have been since the start of the season, as Gavi also enters the final few months of his recovery from knee surgery. Flick’s side are getting healthier and beginning to fire on all cylinders, making them a major contender for every piece of silverware available in the final five months of the campaign.

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