Barcelona are gearing up for a crucial Europa League game, with the Spanish giants set to host Eintracht Frankfurt for the second leg of their quarterfinal showdown.
The pair locked horns last week in Germany, with the tie ending in a 1-1 draw after Ferran Torres cancelled out Ansgar Knauff's opening goal. The venue for Thursday's rematch will be the Camp Nou, meaning the Blaugrana boast the home advantage, but many thought Xavi would be without three important players.
Gerard Pique, Serginho Dest, and Memphis Depay had been the club's biggest fitness concerns leading up to this tie. All three were unavailable for the Catalan giants' amazing last-gasp victory over Levante, with the American and Dutchman also missing out on the first leg of that Frankfurt draw.
However, all three have returned to training and are now in contention for Thursday's tie. Barcelona announced their squad for the second leg and fans were pleased to see the trio included, handing Xavi's men a huge boost in their attempt to reach the semifinals.
However, does this mean they are ready to start? This is unlikely. In the case of Depay, the Dutchman has seen his game time diminish under the helm of Xavi, with Torres, Aubameyang, and Dembele being the coach's preferred attacking three. As for Pique, the club stated in a footnote that the 2010 World Cup winner, despite making the squad for Thursday, has not yet officially been deemed fit for this tie.
The squad for #BarçaEintracht! pic.twitter.com/y9SYQn6npp
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 13, 2022
Regardless, the Spanish giants have been in excellent form recently and are thus the favorites to go through regardless of whether the three aforementioned players pass a late fitness test or not. The Catalan side enter this tie on the back of their recent 3-2 victory over Levante, a game which saw De Jong score the winner in stoppage time to help Barcelona strengthen their grip on the no.2 spot. Pedri and Co. are currently on a 15-game unbeaten streak, winning all but four of those ties.
