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Barcelona back to full strength ahead of Sociedad test

La Liga is back this weekend

The international break is finally over and Barcelona are back to full strength after having 12 players away on international duty.

The final batch of players returned to training on Thursday, as Sergio Busquets, Sergi Roberto, Ivan Rakitic, Arturo Vidal and Thomas Vermaelen joined their team-mates.

The break was actually quite kind to Ernesto Valverde’s side. Key players such as Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba weren’t involved at all and should be well rested.

Busquets only played an hour in the thrashing of Croatia, while Sergi Roberto only saw 10 minutes of playing time on his return to international duty.

Ivan Rakitic only played one game, as he missed Croatia’s friendly against Portugal, so too Luis Suarez who played a starring role in the win over Mexico.

Philippe Coutinho and Arthur both shone for Brazil, while Arturo Vidal shook off concerns over a knee injury by playing 74 minutes in a friendly against South Korea.

Samuel Umtiti is one player who had a busy time. He played 90 minutes in both of France’s games against Germany and the Netherlands, unlike Ousmane Demble who was sparingly used.

Barcelona have a busy schedule now as domestic action returns. They face a tricky trip to Anoeta on Saturday, before welcoming PSV in the Champions League on Tuesday and then hosting Girona in La Liga on Sunday.



Source: barcablaugranes.com

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