Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has confirmed that all being well, Frenkie de Jong should be fit to return during the Catalan derby this weekend. The Dutchman has been out of action for the past six weeks with a muscle tear, and returns at a time with Barcelona down to the bare bones in midfield.
The Blaugrana may well feel forced to rotate for the derby clash, given the size of the task that awaits them at the Metropolitano next Tuesday. Flick said whatever team took to the pitch would be a strong one.
“We’ll see, of course we have to take care of the players and manage their minutes, as always. We have a lot of quality in this team and whoever plays tomorrow will do fantastic.”
“I have very good feelings, the atmosphere and concentration were very good in training and I see the players very prepared and focused for tomorrow,” he commented on the possibility of his side losing focus due to their Champions League return leg against Atletico Madrid.
De Jong returned to training with the rest of his teammates in part on Thursday, and trained as normal on Saturday.
“He’s also taking it one step at a time; the next step is tomorrow. We’ll see how he feels after training and then we’ll see what we do tomorrow. I’m very happy he’s back, but we have to wait until tomorrow. If he feels good in training, then will be on the bench.”
If Pedri were to be rested, then Gavi, who replaced him against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, could be his alternative.
“We’ll see how we manage it; it’s always good for him to start in the starting eleven, and we’ll see. I haven’t decided yet; we’ll have to wait until tomorrow.”
🚨 Frenkie de Jong will have minutes against Espanyol and start against Atlético Madrid alongside Pedri González. [@RogerTorello]
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) April 10, 2026
Flick seemed keen for Lamine Yamal to play some part against Espanyol though.
“He’s a good option to start tomorrow, and we’ll see if he plays 90 minutes or not. We have to see; with him, we have to take it step by step, but he’s ready to start.”
Meanwhile there has been plenty of speculation about the future of Robert Lewandowski over the last 24 hours. Flick was not willing to address his future though.
“I’ve already answered that, I always answer it, it’s not the time to talk about this. We have a big goal and all the players need to focus on that and give their best, it’s not the time to talk about this. Next year is important but now is not the time to talk about who’s leaving.”
The 37-year-old is out of contract this summer, and Barcelona have reportedly offered him the chance to stay on vastly reduced wages, and with a secondary role. Serie A giants AC Milan and Juventus have both been linked with him.
