Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernandez has, late on Sunday, provided updates on the fitness of a number of key members of his squad.
Xavi’s troops, of course, marked their return to action a short time ago.
Brimming with confidence on the back of a five-game win streak across all competitions, the Blaugrana welcomed Getafe to the Camp Nou, hopeful of extending their advantage atop the La Liga table.
And, when all was said and done in Catalunya, all three points is precisely what Barca went on to secure.
This came as a solitary strike by way of Pedri proved enough to guide the below par hosts beyond a battling Getafe side.
Pedri opens up the scoring against Getafe 👏 pic.twitter.com/niiVxiXzbF
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) January 22, 2023
As alluded to above, though, on an otherwise positive evening for Barcelona, alarm bells were nevertheless set ringing across the club’s fanbase.
Then, with 45 minutes on the clock at the Camp Nou, Andreas Christensen – in the midst of a stellar stretch of individual form of late – was hooked from the action.
Speaking to the media post-match, Xavi, in turn, was asked for updates on the wellbeing of all three Blaugrana stars.
And, in news which will no doubt come as a major source of relief for the club’s supporters, Barca’s boss first went on to reveal that Araujo and De Jong were simply afforded the night off to secure some much-needed rest:
“Araujo and Frenkie could have played, but they were not at 100%. We preferred to rest [them].”
The news on Christensen, meanwhile, also proved encouraging, with the Dane expected to be available for selection to face Real Sociedad on Wednesday night.
“Christensen was replaced as he had some discomfort. I think he will be ready for the next match.”
Xavi: “In principle, everyone should be ready for the Copa match on Wednesday.”
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) January 22, 2023
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