Gavi Returns to Barcelona Squad After Elche Scare
Gavi is back on the bench for Barça, fully recovered from his first-matchday injury scare and set to rotate against Feyenoord and Levante this week.
The 22-year-old returned to the squad list on Saturday and sat on the bench at Mestalla on Sunday as Barcelona beat Valencia 5-0, though he did not play.
Gavi started alongside Marc Bernal in a double pivot and had to ask to be substituted just before half-time, going off in the 44th minute with Pedri sent on. The knock has turned out to be no more than an interruption to what had been a promising start to the season, one for which he cut short his post-World Cup holiday to report early and get himself fit.
His timing matters now. Barcelona open the Champions League league phase at home to Feyenoord this Wednesday at 18:45, then travel to face Levante at the Ciutat de València on Sunday at 16:15 in La Liga, and Hansi Flick is expected to rotate through both fixtures. With Rodri and Pedri now up to competitive speed alongside Bernal in central midfield, Gavi gives Flick a fourth option for a position where minutes are shared out and rest is built in. He has also filled in at number 10 and as a false winger this season, though Fermín and Dani Olmo cover the former role and wide roles the latter, freeing Gavi to work primarily through the middle.
If he starts against Feyenoord or Levante, it would mark his first appearance since Elche and confirm Flick regards the Martínez Valero scare as fully behind him.
About this article
Prepared by the editorial team with the help of algorithms, based on the sources listed
Sources 3
- Gavi, a tope para aumentar los recursos de un Barça lanzado mundodeportivo.com
- Barcelona fan-favourite emerges as key rotation option for Feyenoord and Levante after complete recovery sports.yahoo.com
- Gavi volvió a jugar tras el susto en la rodilla mundodeportivo.com