Neither Pedri nor Ousmane Dembele will be fit for derby vs. Espanyol
Both players are closing in on a return but Saturday will come too soon for them
Pedri and Ousmane Dembele will both miss Xavi Hernandez's first game in charge this weekend, the Catalan derby against Espanyol at Camp Nou on Saturday.
Both players are doing recovery work but this weekend's game will come too soon for either of them. In the best case scenario, they will be fit for the Champions League game against Benfica next week.
Barça have decided they would prefer both players to be 100 percent when they return to ensure there is no injury relapse.
Pedri came back too early last time and re-injured his thigh against Benfica, while Dembele hurt his hamstring after coming back from a knee problem.
Barça also remain without Martin Braithwaite, Sergio Aguero and Ansu Fati in attack, with all three still sidelined, so will only have Memphis Depay, Luuk de Jong and Yusuf Demir available.
Xavi will likely look to the B team for reinforcements or have to play some players out of position.
