Barcelona team news ahead of Sunday’s trip to Valencia arrived out on the grass at Sant Joan Despi rather than in a press conference, and it was the good kind. Gavi is back with the group. Gabriel Jesus trained with his new team-mates for the first time. And the teenager who was carried off on Wednesday night has been cleared.
Hansi Flick gave his players Tuesday and Wednesday off after a compressed opening to the campaign, and the squad reconvened at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper at 11am on Thursday to begin work on the fourth matchday of LaLiga. The Blaugrana travel to Mestalla on Sunday with a perfect record: three wins, nine points, top of the table, and a goal difference of +10 after Monday’s 5-2 win over Rayo Vallecano.
Gabriel Jesus takes his first session with the group
The new man was the headline. Gabriel Jesus arrived in Barcelona on Monday, was presented on deadline day and had not yet worked alongside the squad. On Thursday he did — partially, easing into the session rather than completing it — walking out onto the Camp Tito Vilanova pitch alongside Raphinha, Joao Cancelo and Hamza Abdelkarim, and looking to the sky with his arms outstretched as he stepped on the turf.
Per Mundo Deportivo, the Brazilian is far enough into his physical work to be integrated quickly. He had a full pre-season behind him before the move, which is precisely why Barca were comfortable signing a forward on the final day of the window and expecting him to be usable almost immediately. Wearing the No.9 vacated this summer, he is in contention for a place in the squad at Mestalla, as our piece on when Gabriel Jesus could make his Barcelona debut set out on Tuesday.
Gavi back in training and expected in the Valencia squad
The better news for the medical room concerns Gavi. The midfielder took a heavy blow to his right leg in the opening-day win at Elche — the same leg in which he suffered his serious 2023 injury, which is why the reaction inside the club was as anxious as it was — and sat out the following two matches against Athletic Club and Rayo Vallecano while following an individual recovery programme.
He rejoined the group on Thursday, also on a partial basis, and is expected to be named in the squad for Sunday provided the next few sessions pass without complaint. That timeline matches the return date Barcelona set for Gavi last week almost to the day.
It matters more than a line on a team sheet. With Frenkie de Jong out long term, Flick has been rotating a midfield of Pedri, Fermin Lopez, Dani Olmo, Marc Bernal and Rodri through a fixture list that does not let up: Valencia away on Sunday, then the Champions League opener against Feyenoord at the Spotify Camp Nou on 9 September.
Jesse Bisiwu cleared after Copa Catalunya scare
The third piece of news came by club statement. Jesse Bisiwu, the 18-year-old signed from Club Brugge this summer, was stretchered off during Wednesday’s Copa Catalunya final, which Barca Atletic lost 2-1 to Sabadell.
Barca Atletic confirmed on Thursday morning that the tests were clean. “Player Jesse Bisiwu received a blow to his left leg during yesterday’s match,” the statement read. “The medical tests carried out this morning have confirmed that it is solely a contusion. His return to training is expected in a short time frame.” A brief absence, then, for a player whose injury looked considerably worse on the night.
Most of the Barca Atletic squad were given the morning off after the final, which made room for the session’s genuine surprise: Iu Martinez, a 17-year-old winger from Suria, training with the first team.
Barcelona team news: what it all means for Mestalla
Flick goes to Valencia with his squad in better shape than it was 48 hours ago, and with the awkward part of the schedule now beginning in earnest. Sunday’s 4.15pm kick-off is the last fixture before the European campaign opens, and it is the first week in which the coach has both a recognised No.9 and something close to a full midfield to pick from.
Whether Gabriel Jesus starts, comes off the bench or simply watches from it is Flick’s call, and there is no obvious pressure to rush him — Barcelona have scored 12 goals in three matches with Raphinha leading the line, five of them from the captain himself. But the option now exists. After a summer spent chasing a centre-forward, that is not a small thing.
Squad and medical information is published by FC Barcelona. Training-session details reported by Mundo Deportivo.
