The unexpected news is a sign of relief for Barcelona as both Gerard Piqué and Sergi Roberto have been declared fit ahead of Saturday’s El Clasico trip.
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Barcelona had been missing their defensive duo for quite some time now. Roberto has been facing a reoccurring thigh issue. Piqué came back from a previous injury but was soon sidelined again after picking up another injury against Sevilla in the Copa del Rey.
Roberto was expecting to be fit as he has been back in training, but speculation about Piqué missing the anticipated El Clasico fixture was looking to be true. Now both of them have been deemed to be fit. Coach Ronald Koeman has a few options to choose from to make his defensive backline for the clash. It would be interesting to see who the coach relies upon his confidence against Los Blancos.
The squad for #ElClasico! pic.twitter.com/ntRWjsQfb2
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 9, 2021
Are Piqué and Roberto expected to start for Barcelona?
Araujo, Mingueza, Lenglet, Umtiti and Piqué are all named in the squad. Earlier in the season, the boss played Piqué straight after his return from an injury against PSG. Would he choose to do that again by picking out the 34-year-old ahead of Araujo or Mingueza?
If he does, it would be a questionable decision, as both of those young prospects have looked brilliant so far in Blaugrana colors. It would be unfair to them if they are not part of the Clasico.
Sergi Roberto will most certainly start the game on the bench as there is no question about Sergino Dest‘s start.
Barcelona’s most important El Clasico
An El Clasico game is always an important one in terms of passion and the consequences. But this one is quite different and somehow more important than ever as Barca is just a point behind the league leaders, Atletico Madrid.
Barca is sandwiched between the two Madrid clubs on either side of the table. What that means is, if the Catalans take any misstep, the season can sustain a compromising effect. Messi and his men have a big chance to snatch those clinical three points from their rivals and create a gap of five points separating them.
Then Barca can focus on creating the pressure on Atletico to drop points in any of the remaining matchdays. The title race is on. It all comes down to this week’s El Clasico at Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium in Round 30 of La Liga.