Barcelona are preparing for their Champions League semi-final first leg at Inter Milan on April 30, and have been boosted by the likely return of a vital defensive piece.
The 21-year-old left-back, who pulled his hamstring in mid-April, is healing remarkably well from his injury and may be incorporated earlier than initially expected.
The Spanish defender incurred the knock in Barcelona’s La Liga game against Leganés on April 12.
The player’s initial medical examinations revealed a minimum of three weeks of recovery, which would have excluded him from the Copa del Rey final on April 26 as well as the first leg of the Champions League semi-final.
According to AS, the player’s rehabilitation work has, however, allowed him to beat the set schedule, although the club physicians remain cautious given his past injuries.
Alejandro Balde has become one of Barcelona’s most prized defenders this season, his speed and full-back attacking input key to Hansi Flick’s tactics.
While Barcelona has officially ruled out any possibility of Balde being fit for the Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid, there is growing optimism that he will be fit to face Inter Milan.
Club officials describe this as an “ambitious but not impossible” timeframe, and still maintain that the player has responded well to treatment.
But they are adamant that corners will not be cut in his rehabilitation, given his history of hamstring issues.
The selection will ultimately come down to late fitness checks ahead of the Inter Milan match.
Balde’s comeback, if he is available, would be an enormous tactical benefit for Flick against the Italian champions’ deadly wide players.
His possible availability also affects the team selection for Barcelona, as his natural cover played impeccably in his place.
If Balde is unable to play the first leg, the club is hoping he will be ready for the return match at San Siro on May 7.
This would provide him with extra time to recover but still enable him to potentially make an impact in the important European tie.
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