Pedri, De Jong & Christensen – How did Barcelona’s injured stars fare in practice match? | OneFootball

An insight into ongoings in the behind-closed-doors practice match held by La Liga giants Barcelona on Saturday has come to the fore online.

For those who may have missed it, word was forthcoming this week that the coaching staff at Barcelona had pencilled in a match between ranks for Saturday afternoon.

This came for two reasons – to keep Barca’s stars sharp on a weekend free of La Liga fixtures, and to test the fitness of sidelined trio Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, and Andreas Christensen.

Ahead of Wednesday’s fast-approaching Champions League showdown with Paris Saint-Germain, how did all three fare earlier today, then?

As per a report from Toni Juanmartí of Diario Sport, midfielder De Jong was the only one of the three to see out the entirety of the matchup.

He therefore looks a lock to return to matchday duties in Paris this coming week.

Pedri and Christensen, on the other hand, featured for part of the training match, albeit with it crucially noted that both emerged from proceedings ‘with good feelings’.

With the pair coming back from muscular problems, it was decided that the cautious route was the best one on Saturday.

Christensen looks the likelier to be included in Xavi’s ranks to face PSG, but Pedri taking his place on the bench is not ruled out, either.

Conor Laird | GSFN