FC Barcelona will kick off their UEFA Champions League campaign tonight with a match against the Ligue 1 side, Monaco. The Blaugranes will be looking to build on the winning momentum they have generated in La Liga since the start of the season by getting another win in the UCL.
There were some concerning reports for Flick ahead of this match. Fermin Lopez, who had already returned to training after his injury in the last international break, suffered another setback in his other leg while training. Similarly, Dani Olmo also suffered an overload in the match against Girona and is out for the coming 4-5 weeks.
On the other hand, there was some good news as well. Gavi and Frenkie de Jong are both now training with the group, but their returns will not be rushed by the club. Meanwhile, Ansu Fati has completely recovered, and as Mundo Deportivo has noted, he can make his season debut in the match tonight.
If he makes an appearance tonight, Barcelona fans will be able to see him on the pitch after a significant period of time. He had left Barcelona to play for one season on loan at Brighton and Hove Albion in England, as he looked to get some continuity after several injury-ravaged years.
In the 2022-23 season, when Barcelona won the Super Cup and La Liga under Xavi, Fati was not a regular starter, but still scored 10 goals in that campaign.
Now, Hansi Flick is once again looking ahead to get the best out of a player who enamored Barcelona fans with his performances at a very young age, and who had the honour of inheriting Lionel Messi’s #10.
However, even though he has recovered, the €25m-rated Spanish forward might not be in the best shape yet, as he has not played a competitive game since May 19th, when he played the last 9 minutes of the game between Brighton and Manchester United.
Still, the forward is quite eager to return to the field, and there is already a clear improvement in his physicality. Thus, putting in a good performance tonight can spur him to put his woes behind him, and start performing at his best level once again.
