Ferran won't be available vs Athletic Bilbao, but it is good news for Barcelona

Barcelona have some important challenges ahead. They know that this season it will be very difficult to compete for the La Liga title, as Real Madrid have had an almost perfect performance and have taken an eight-point lead over them in the standings. But that does not mean that the Spanish tournament does not matter to them: they need to finish as high as possible to qualify for the next Champions League and the Super Cup 2025.

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However, their main objective is undoubtedly the European tournament. There they are in the round of 16, where they faced Napoli in the first leg in Italy and drew 1-1. The decisive match will be on Tuesday, March 12 in Montjuic and there Los Blaugranas will have to give their best to get a victory that will allow them to advance to the next phase.

Knowing that this is their priority, Xavi Hernandez will make decisions in the coming days so that the team arrive in the best possible way to that match. Therefore, according to Marca newspaper, the coach will not call up Ferrán Torres for this Sunday's match against Athletic Bilbao at the Nuevo San Mames stadium.

The Spanish forward suffered a muscle injury on January 31, during the first minutes of the match against Osasuna. Since then he has not played again, but his recovery is going well and he is almost ready to return. However, the coach does not want to take any risks and that is why he will not even include him on the bench this weekend. Perhaps he will have the opportunity to play some minutes during the next La Liga match, against Mallorca on Friday, March 8, in order to be fit for the match against Napoli in the Champions League.

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The worst is over

Injuries have been one of the most serious problems for Barcelona this season. They lost key players such as Frenkie De Jong, Jules Koundé, Raphinha, Joao Felix, Robert Lewandowski, Pedri and Alejandro Balde at different times. Fortunately, most of them are now recovered and ready to play. The only star who will be out for a long time is Gavi, after surgery on his knee.