FCBARCELONA.CAT

27.01.2009 11:55

Keita and Márquez rejoin squad

Berta Brau

The Barça squad are still preparing for the derby on Thursday, and were able to welcome back Márquez and Keita today. They trained with the rest of the players, as did three members of the reserve team.

There were 25 players for training on pitch number 1 at the Ciudad Deportiva Joan Gamper, the game with Espanyol on Thursday being the main topic of conversation. Rafa Márquez and Seydou Keita were both back for the session that got under way at 11.00 am.

Keita and Márquez

The Malian has been training in isolation from his colleagues for the last two sessions as he gets over a pulled muscle in his right leg.

Márquez, who also worked alone on Monday , and also went through a special warm-up today with a fitness coach, later joined the rest of the team for the other activities. He hurt the soleus muscle in his left leg in last Wednesday’s first leg encounter at Montjuïc.

Three reserves

Pep Guardiola also included three Barça Atlètic players in today’s session. Víctor Vázquez, Jeffren and goalkeeper Miño were invited along, while the rest of the reserve squad trained just a few metres away on pitch number 4.

Working on strength

The session got off to an intense start, with the players training with weights and elastics. The first part of the session then concluded with the players working on ball control in pairs. But this was just for the outfield players, as the goalkeepers spent the time working on specific aspects related to their duties.