Barcelona Squad Announcement for PSG Clash Reveals Unexpected Inclusion

The FC Barcelona squad has set off for Paris ahead of the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. Under Xavi Hernández’s leadership, the team, making their first appearance in the competition’s penultimate round since 2020, faces the challenge of securing a favorable result at Parc des Princes to set the stage for the return leg at Montjuïc next week.

The Barcelona squad travels with an unexpected addition: Gavi, who, although unfit to play, joins his teammates for the pre-match preparations. Also included in the squad are Pedri, De Jong, and Christensen, although they have not yet been medically cleared.

High Anticipation Surrounding the Squad List The official squad list for the trip to the French capital has generated significant anticipation among Barcelona supporters. The Blaugrana have not played a match since their narrow victory over UD Las Palmas at Estadi Olímpic on Saturday, March 30th. Over these ten days, the club’s medical staff and coaching team have worked tirelessly to recover three key players in Xavi’s plans: Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, and Christensen.

Ultimately, Xavi has included all three in the official squad for the PSG showdown. De Jong, who suffered an ankle sprain against Athletic Club a month ago, is the most likely to feature prominently against Luis Enrique’s side. Pedri, recovering from a new hamstring injury, will depend solely on his pre-match sensations to determine his importance in Paris. Xavi also hopes to have Christensen available, despite his season-long Achilles tendon issues, as he has been carefully managed in recent weeks to ensure he is not overloaded against PSG.

Additionally, the entire squad, including Gavi, who is not included in the list, has traveled with the expedition. The intention is for the midfielder, recovering from a serious knee injury, to foster team spirit alongside his teammates.

The only absentee is Alejandro Balde, who continues his recovery in Barcelona. Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, and Christensen are included, although the first two have not yet been medically cleared.

In terms of the youth team, Xavi has called up Héctor Fort, Marc Guiu, Marc Casadó, and Ander Astralaga for the trip to France, all of whom have been training with the senior squad.

BARCELONA SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT FOR PSG CLASH Thus, here is Xavi’s final squad list for the PSG encounter: Ter Stegen, Iñaki Peña, Astralaga; Cancelo, Araujo, Iñigo, Ferran, Pedri, Lewandowski, Raphinha, Joao Félix, Christensen, Fermín, Marcos Alonso, Oriol Romeu, Vitor Roque, Sergi Roberto, Frenkie de Jong, Gündogan, Kounde, Lamine Yamal, Héctor Fort, Marc Guiu, Marc Casadó, and Cubarsí.