Catalan star midfielder set to miss Barca's first La Liga matchday

FC Barcelona would start their new season on 18th August in the La Liga fixture against Valencia. Considering the recent form of the Blaugrana club, where they defeated the likes of Manchester City and Real Madrid, the first matchday shouldn't pose much of a problem for Flick's side.

Given the preseason heroics of young midfielders Pablo Torre, Marc Casado, and Marc Bernal, the Catalan midfield seems enough to dismantle Valencia's backline. However, the Blaugrana club would surely miss their creative playmaker, Pedri, on the first matchday of the 2024/25 campaign.

Pedri set to miss Barca's first La Liga matchday

Pedri, who had faced a knee injury, is still in the recovery process, and despite the youngster giving it his all, he doesn't seem to be available against Valencia. According to reports from Mundo Deportivo, Pedri is expected to miss the Valencia game on matchday one due to his injury, but he is expected to be back on matchday two against Athletic Club.

Though the star Barcelona midfielder wouldn't be available on matchday 1, chances are that he would make a significant comeback against Athletic Club. Not to forget, with Nico Williams deciding to stay at Athletic for another season, the Basque club might give considerable competition to FC Barcelona in the second matchday.

But as Barca boasts a squad having the likes of Robert Lewandowski, their new signing Dani Olmo, Pedri, Lamine Yamal, and potentially Fermin, the pressure would be on Athletic to keep up with the Catalan club's play. Given Flick's heroics with such a young squad against European giants like Manchester City and Real Madrid, it shouldn't be difficult for Barca to win the fixture.

Overall, Pedri's comeback early in the season would be one of the biggest positives for the Blaugrana club. With Pedri back in the Barcelona jersey, the club would hope he marks his arrival in the best possible way, helping Barca get the crucial 3 points against Athletic.