Barcelona midfielder to feature in starting XI vs Celta Vigo after a year-long wait | OneFootball

After starting the 2024-25 season without several key midfielders due to injuries, things have improved significantly for Hansi Flick in the last few weeks. After struggling to fill his midfield numbers at some points in the season, the Barcelona coach now has plenty of options for the three spots in the middle of the pitch.

Players like Frenkie de Jong, Dani Olmo, and Fermin Lopez have all recovered in the last month or so, and have also been playing a significant part in the last few games.

Another midfielder who returned from a long injury lay-off last month was Gavi, but his return to the pitch has been more gradual, as he has got very few minutes, mostly at the end of matches.

This was a necessary precaution as Barcelona did not want to take any risks with such an important player, and wanted to ensure he does not suffer a relapse after returning from such a serious injury.

However, the midfielder has been making progress even with these little minutes. After playing less than 10 minutes in his first few games, Gavi played 22 minutes against Red Star Belgrade. But in the difficult match against Real Sociedad, he again got only 6 minutes.

Now, Toni Juanmartí of Diario SPORT reports that the youngster is ready to take the next step in his return to full fitness, and is expected to start the upcoming game against Celta Vigo on Saturday.

This match will mark 369 days since the ACL injury that he suffered in the November international break last year in the match between Spain and Georgia. Thus, Gavi has already completed the one-year deadline that Barcelona had set before giving him his first start after that injury.

Still, this start would not mean that the Barcelona midfielder is ready to play every three days now. This is only another step in his return to full fitness, and the club will continue to follow a progressive plan with him to ensure they avoid any missteps.

However, he will also not play the full match against Celta Vigo, and Flick is likely to sub him out some minutes into the second half. However, the German coach himself revealed that the midfielder was ready to start in his press conference ahead of this match.