Gavi and Pedri will be missing in Manchester. ALBERT GEA / PANORAMIC
Held in check at Camp Nou, the Catalans move to Old Trafford without the two lungs of the midfielder, packages. Impossible mission ?
So young and yet already so indispensable. Gavi (18) and Pedri (20) are among the players most used by FC Barcelona coach Xavi. Moreover, the Catalan technician does not hesitate to salute their talent. “When Andres Iniesta and I were 20, we weren’t as good as Pedri and Gavi are now… They’re better than us“, he said last December. A flattering comparison. Unfortunately for Barça, Gavi and Pedri will be absent for the trip to the lawn of Manchester United, this Thursday, in barages return from the Europa League.
He is only 20 years old, but Pedri is already playing his third season as a professional with FC Barcelona. For the first, he had played 37 league matches with the Catalan club. Better, or worse, Pedri has an impressive record. During the 2020-2021 season, the midfielder played… 73 games. Between the championship, the Champions League, the national team or the Olympic Games… Pedri was on all fronts. But if at this age recovery is easier, this sequence is no less dangerous. The inevitable then happened on February 16, during the first leg between Barcelona and Manchester United.
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Fundamental
In the 40th minute, the number 8 sits on the lawn, right leg stretched. “Pedri injured his rectus femoris muscle in his right thigh (hamstring). After tests on Friday morning the damage was confirmed and he will not be available until his leg has recovered“, said the club in a press release the day after the meeting. Endowed with great technical quality, very generous in his efforts and capable of breaking lines with the pass, Pedri has also proven himself as a scorer this season, he who has already scored 6 goals in the league. In the pre-match press conference, Xavi described him as “reference player on the field” Who “don’t lose a ball» et «fundamental».
It might be a cliché, but it’s actually a fact. When we were young, we had the annoying tendency to tuck the laces inside the shoe because we couldn’t do them correctly. With age, everything goes back to normal. But maybe not for everyone. Indeed, the hallmark of Gavi is to play with the undone laces. No question of style, just a habit. This did not prevent the 18-year-old from being an indisputable starter at the World Cup with La Roja, he who is only playing his second season as a professional.
Gavi, undone laces, in the first leg against Manchester United. Reuters / Panoramic
For the time being less complete than his teammate Pedri, Gavi still has a rare ability to adapt. Usually placed in the middle of three Barça, the new number 6 has recently distinguished himself with a higher position on the ground, almost in support of Lewandowski. Gavi notably voted man of the match in the Spanish Super Cup final, won 3-1 against Real Madrid, with a goal and an assist on the clock. “Gavi is all about passion, intensity, just what we need (Thursday)“, said his coach on Wednesday, at a press conference the day before the match. The young player is not injured, but suspended for accumulation of yellow cards.
Barça undefeated since… October 26
Barcelona are currently in exceptional form. The Catalans top La Liga, eight points clear of second-placed Real Madrid. Better, the men of Xavi are undefeated since October 26, during the 0-3 defeat against Bayern Munich synonymous with the end of the course in the Champions League. The Pedri-Gavi duo is no stranger to this series of invincibility. All competitions combined, of the 18 matches played since that famous October 26, Pedri has only missed three matches, Gavi none. Two absences that risk weighing on the game of Barcelona, especially against Manchester United, also very fit.
The Red Devils have only one defeat in all competitions in 2023 and occupy a good third place in the league, five points behind leaders Arsenal. Enough to make Xavi say that “his” Barça is having a “reviewat Old Trafford. A Barça which will also have to do without Ousmane Dembélé. “We came across the strongest opponent of these play-offs in the draw. We cannot yet say that Barça is back. The exam will be (Thursday)“, he swears, slipping that in the face of”one of the best teams in Europe right now», «it’s a perfect scenario to show that Barça can also compete with one of the greats of Europe“. And this, without Dembélé, Pedri and Gavi. “On a des alternativesXavi swears. We will see.