FC Barcelona head into Monday’s La Liga fixture against Rayo Vallecano following wins over Elche and Athletic Club, with Hansi Flick preparing his side for its third league game of the season at Spotify Camp Nou. The German coach will again be without Gavi, who has not rejoined group training after suffering a knock to his right knee during the opening-day victory over Elche.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Flick said on Wednesday that the midfielder would need around a week of recovery before returning to full training. Gavi is expected to resume normal work after Monday’s match, when Barcelona begin preparing for their fourth league fixture against Valencia.
Gavi is not the only midfielder absent from training. Frenkie de Jong remains out as he recovers from an injury suffered during the World Cup, while Marc Casado has stayed away from group training as he prepares to finalise a transfer before the summer window closes.
Elsewhere, Dominik Livakovic has been training with the first team but is not yet registered and cannot play against Rayo. Jesse Bisiwu is in a similar position, as bureaucratic issues mean he is also unable to feature officially. Youngsters Hamza Abdelkarim and Brian Farinas have trained with the senior group ahead of the match.
With those absences and registration issues in mind, it remains to be seen whether Flick will change the Barcelona side that started the first two league games or continue with the same players against Rayo Vallecano.
