Barcelona to have defender available against Girona after returning from personal absence

Barcelona will be without Inigo Martinez for a next few weeks after he picked up an injury during the arm-up ahead of last weekend’s victory over Atletico Madrid. Andreas Christensen replaced Martinez on that occasion, and he produced a typically accomplished performance during the 1-0 win at Montjuic.

With Martinez out, Christensen has the chance to assert himself as a regular starter, although his availability for Sunday’s showdown with Girona could have been in doubt, as he missed training on Thursday and Friday in order to be with his partner, who has been due to give birth any day now.

Fortunately for Barcelona, Sport have reported that Christensen returned on Friday night, and will train with the rest of his teammates on Saturday ahead of the Catalan derby. He should be at 100%, meaning that Xavi Hernandez can rely on him once again.

Christensen has been excellent for Barcelona since joining from Chelsea last summer. He now has the chance to cement himself as an undisputed starter once again, starting with the match against Girona.