FC Barcelona Receive Huge Squad Boost For New Season

FC Barcelona have received a huge boost for the upcoming season.

The defending La Liga champions kick off their preparations for the 2023/2024 campaign in the United States through a series of friendlies.

Meeting Juventus first at the Levi’s Stadium home of NFL franchise the San Francisco 49ers, they then venture to Los Angeles to meet Arsenal on July 26 ahead of a Dallas installment of El Clasico on July 29 before the tour is wrapped up in Las Vegas by a showdown with AC Milan.

Head coach Xavi Hernandez will be able to include new signings Ilkay Gundogan and Inigo Martinez in his travelling squad after the veterans joined the club on free transfers in recent weeks.

In the past few days, however, Barca have been disappointed by missing out on Arda Guler to bitter rivals Real Madrid and are also struggling to nail down Vitor Roque from Athletico Paranaense.

There is good news to be had elsewhere, though, with midfielder Pedri, who is likely to partner Gundogan in attacking midfield for the forseeable future, confirming online that he will be fit for the Juventus clash.

On The Residency app which allows fans to talk to their favourite players, one asked the Spain international as much.

“In principle, no problem” Pedri replied in English, with the first part of that response a direct translation of a popular Spanish phrase “en principio”.

Catalan newspapers such as Mundo Deportivo have taken the interaction as Pedri confirming he will be ready to star against the Italian giants in Santa Clara, California, in what is a huge boost to Xavi and his men.

Pedri has also confirmed he has been training under the instruction of the club’s coaches and had previously been been out of action since May when he suffered discomfort to his right thigh.

This led to him being unable to finish the season with the La Liga champions-in-waiting and skip the last three games in the domestic championship.

Before that, Pedri missed 64 days’ worth of action because of a muscle injury picked up in the first half of a Europa League playoff first leg against Manchester United and didn’t return until late April.

In his absence, Barca clearly suffered and were knocked out of Europe’s second-string competition by the Premier
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League giants before then being humbled and suffering their worst home defeat in El Clasico in 60 years when Madrid beat them 4-0 in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals.

Thankfully Barca had built up enough of a points lead in La Liga to not be derailed in the title race, but as Xavi looks to improve on back-to-back group exits in the Champions League over the past two seasons and defend the Spanish top flight crown, he will need Pedri fit and as much as possible.

The arrival of Gundogan means that the 20-year-old can be rested at times reducing the risk of burnout, with both men, plus the rest of the first team, summoned to start preseason training on Monday.