Barcelona star aiming for first start of the season vs Espanyol | OneFootball

Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong is hopeful of securing his first starting berth of the campaign in the club’s upcoming showdown with Espanyol.

That’s according to Diario Sport, who have on Friday provided an insight into the latest developments behind the scenes in Catalunya’s capital.

Midfielder De Jong, for his part, has spent the last couple of weeks ramping up his fitness levels.

Now recovered from a long-term ankle concern, the 27-year-old faces a tough task in breaking into a deep-lying midfield setup currently manned by the starring Pedri and Marc Casadó.

Last time out, though, De Jong was widely credited with changing the game, after being introduced to proceedings at the interval of Barcelona’s 4-0 Clásico drubbing of Real Madrid.

And, if the latest word stemming from the media is anything to go by, then as much could yet prove enough to secure for the former Ajax man a start this weekend.

Barcelona are set to lock horns with city rivals Espanyol on Sunday, in the season’s first edition of the Derbi Barceloní.

And, as per Sport, De Jong is pushing hard to feature from the off, in what would mark his first start of the 2024/25 campaign.

Conor Laird – GSFN