Injury and physical problems continue taking their toll on FC Barcelona as two important midfielders, Frenkie de Jong and Pedri, were the latest to enter the list of players currently unavailable due to injuries.
They are both unavailable for the upcoming game against Napoli and are likely to miss several games even after this important match in the UEFA Champions League.
However, as SPORT has reported, there is also some good news for Xavi on the injury front, as the defender Marcos Alonso undertook a normal training session with the rest of his teammates ahead of the La Liga match against Mallorca.
The Spaniard had been out of action for the last three months because of problems with his back. He took some conservative treatment for this issue in the early phases, but as no improvements were there to be seen, he was advised to go through surgery.
Now, having fully recovered from this issue, the player is now in contention for the squad list for the game against Mallorca. However, things were not very bright for Alonso even before he developed this back problem.
The former Chelsea defender has been able to make only seven appearances for Barcelona this season, four in La Liga and three in the Champions League, and has started only three of these games.
But still, his return from injury will be looked favorably upon by Xavi, as the team has its most decisive stretch of the season ahead of them, and any defensive reinforcement will be welcomed by the Barcelona head coach.
With Alonso’s recovery, Barcelona now have only Pedri, Gavi, Frenkie de Jong, and Balde out in the infirmary. Ferran Torres has not yet returned but is already in the final phases of his recovery. Xavi was expecting the winger to be available against Mallorca, but he is yet to train with his teammates up to now.