FCBARCELONA.CAT

13.10.2009 12:45

Squad back in training ahead of Saturday game

www.fcbarcelona.cat

Baraca's first team squad will be back in training this evening after a three day break. The squad will train four times this week ahead of the visit to Mestalla this weekend, when the team will be looking for their seventh league win on the run.

Once again though, Guardiola will be faced with a reduced squad as just six of his players - Pinto, Valdés, Maxwell, Pedro, Jeffren and Bojan will be available and will possibly be supplemented with players from Barça Atlètic or the youth team.

First batch of internationals back on Wednesday

The internationals who have already returned to Barcelona - Alves, Márquez, Xavi, Puyol, Keita and Touré will be back at work on Wednesday morning for the training session which begins 11.00. Alves is waiting on Dunga's decision to release him or not after he picked up a yellow card that means he misses Brazil's game against Velanzuela.

Evening sessions on Thursday and Friday

Thursday sees another evening training session(18.00) at which Ibrahimovic, Abidal, Henry, Busquets, Piqué and Iniesta are scheduled to be present, though Leo Messi will not have arrived back in time to train. Friday's session is set for 18.00, which should give the Argentinian star time to get back from his country's all important game against Uruguay.

Return trip on Saturday

The team will leave for Valencia on Saturday morning and return straight after the game, ready for Sunday lunchtime's training ahead of Tuesday's Champions League clash with Rubin Kazan. On Monday the squad will train at the Nou Camp at 18.00.