Barcelona Hopeful Ansu Fati Will Return For Tasty Clash

Ansu Fati

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Ansu Fati has been out since November following knee surgery but Barcelona are hopeful the 18-year-old could be back in time to play some part of their Champions League last-16 tie with Paris Saint-Germain.

Tbe Catalan giants have marked the second leg of the clash with the French champions as the date when Fati could finally step back onto the pitch for Barcelona, according to Albert Roge at Sport.

The first leg is scheduled for the Camp Nou on February 16, but the second leg in Paris is not until almost a month later on March 10. Roge reports Barca hope Fati can start training on the pitch at the Joan Gamper Sports City in the coming weeks.

The teenager will first start working out individually without the ball. If he continues to progress then the club will introduce ball work before Fati joins up with the rest of his team-mates for full training.

Barca feel that Fati is currently only a few weeks away from a return, raising optimism he may be able to feature in the tie at the Parc des Princes in five weeks’ time.

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Praise for Ansu Fati

There is no doubt that Fati has been missed by Barcelona. The teenager started the season strongly with five goals and two assists for his club. He also wrote his name into the history books with his first goal for the Spain national team.

Fati’s electric pace, vision, movement, and finishing make him a handful for defenders and a potent attacker for Barca. The Catalan giants have used Antoine Griezmann and Martin Braithwaite on the left of their attack since Fati was injured but have not carried quite the same threat without the youngster.


Former La Masia

Fati may be out of action at the moment but he’s certainly not been forgotten. Former La Masia director Albert Puig has spoken about the youngster in a recent interview with Sport and tipped the forward for big things.

I hope to the top. We are talking about a player who has everything to become one of the best in the world. He already is, but obviously he has to train and evolve much more. Nobody has the magic wand to say he will do it, but he has all the potential to be a reference for years to come.

The Spain international’s return from injury will certainly be a big boost for the Catalan giants after such a lengthy spell out. Koeman will also be keen to have his best team available for the clash against PSG.

The French champions made it to the final of the Champions League last season and will be a big threat with stars such as Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, Marco Verratti, and Angel Di Maria in the squad.

Barca obviously have threats of their own in the shape of Lionel Messi, Griezmann, and Ousmane Dembele, but would surely love to also have Fati, the Champions League’s youngest goalscorer, as an option too.

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