Christensen steps up Barcelona recovery as Fabregas boost ahead of key fixtures

Andreas Christensen has returned to training with the Barcelona squad, giving manager Hansi Flick a welcome boost after the victory over Deportivo Alaves at Spotify Camp Nou.

The Denmark defender took part in part of the team’s rehabilitation work as he continued his recovery from a muscle injury to the rectus femoris in his left thigh.

Christensen suffered the problem on 19 September during Barcelona’s meeting with Sevilla at Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan. He had been sidelined for a month and a half before making a partial return to group training, according to Spanish newspaper Sport.

The players who started against Alaves did not train on the pitch at Camp Tito Vilanova, within the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper. Instead, they completed recovery exercises in the gym, while the ball work was limited to those who had played fewer minutes.

Four young players from Barcelona Atletic – Alex Campos, Guillem Victor, Ibrahima Tonkara and Hamza Abdelkarim – also joined the session. All four had been included in the squad for the match against Alaves but remained unused substitutes.

Barcelona are due to face Aston Villa in the UEFA Champions League on 03 November 2026, before travelling to face Atletico Madrid in La Liga on 08 November 2026.

It remains to be seen whether the four Barcelona Atletic players will retain their places in the squad for Tuesday’s European fixture against Aston Villa at the Catalan club’s stadium.

Christensen, however, is considered highly unlikely to receive medical clearance in time for the match against the English side unless there is a major change in his recovery. Barcelona will have only one full training session before the game, while the defender’s extended absence makes it difficult to prepare him for such a demanding match.

His prospects of being included for the league meeting with Atletico Madrid at Riyadh Air Metropolitano are considerably better, depending on how his condition develops in the coming period.

Flick said after the comprehensive win over Alaves that Barcelona must manage the defensive injury problems without taking unnecessary risks.

“We do not know yet when they will return, but we are working on it. Their progress is good, although our situation is not ideal,” he said.

“We will have to get through the next two matches and I hope one or two players return. We do not want to take risks, and after that we will have two weeks to recover the players. We will see how we manage the situation because we need all our players until the end of the season.”