The key news from the FC Barcelona squad announcement ahead of the Alaves clash is the inclusion of Pedri. The midfielder trained with the first team on Thursday and looks set to be available for Hansi Flick.
After the disappointment at Stamford Bridge, there is finally some good news for FC Barcelona. If all goes to plan, Pedri Gonzalez will pull on the ‘Blaugrana’ shirt again this weekend after a month on the sidelines.
On Thursday, the midfielder from Tegueste completed a full training session with his teammates. While there were rumours he might even be fit for the Chelsea match, Hansi Flick opted against taking a risk, giving him time to build on his positive progress ahead of the home game against Deportivo Alaves.
Pedri has not played since ‘El Clasico’ on 26th October, a match in which he was sent off. A few days later, the player suffered a tear in the distal biceps femoris of his left leg during training, an injury that has seen him miss six matches for both club and country.
He was unavailable for the matches against Club Brugge and Celta Vigo, and subsequently missed the international break where Spain secured their World Cup qualification against Georgia and Turkey. Upon his return to club duties, he was also absent for the victory over Athletic Club and the damaging defeat to Chelsea, where Hansi Flick’s side keenly felt his absence.
Now fully recovered, Pedri returns for the final stretch of 2025 leading up to the Christmas break. A demanding schedule awaits, with seven matches in the space of 20 days: Alaves (29/11), Atletico (2/12), Betis (6/12), Eintracht (9/12), Osasuna (13/12), the Copa del Rey Round of 32 (16-18/12), and Villarreal (21/12).