After some weeks of great turmoil and uncertainty at FC Barcelona, things are starting to look up. Despite the difficult set of matches placed in front of them, the Catalans managed to prevail. The cup and the league, both demanding, were overcome by Barcelona.
The first encounter was against Unionistas, and Barça managed to win it by slight margins. Then, against Real Betis, a stunning 4-2 victory uplifted the Barcelona spirits even higher. Now, ahead of the clash against Athletic Bilbao in the cup, there is even more positive news.
According to the official squad list, La Blaugrana are met with some of the best possible news they could have received. Both Joao Cancelo and Andreas Christensen, as was expected, are back in the team to take on Ernesto Valverde’s Athletic Bilbao.
The Portuguese fullback and Danish defender are both key players for Xavi, and their collective return is undoubtedly extremely positive news for the hopes of Barcelona against Athletic Bilbao. The Basque team is undoubtedly a strong opponent, but these two key players are a massive boost for Barça.
Recently, even German goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen gave a possible return date for himself. Taking that into consideration, as well as the return of these two superstars, Barcelona are left with a lot of positives to look forward to.
Injured since the Las Palmas game, Cancelo seems to finally have recovered from his MCL sprain. Christensen, on the other hand, was rested against Real Betis in the last game only as a precaution.
Now, both players managed to ensure they completed the group training with the rest of their teammates. Their eyes are now set on the game against Athletic Bilbao.
Arguably Barça’s most clear opportunity at a title, Xavi will want all his best players available. It does remain to be seen whether they are able to start or not.
