Final training session before Valladolid

FC Barcelona held its final training session at noon today at the Camp Nou. Eighteen players worked at the session focused on polishing some final details before this evening’s match, which is the penultimate league game at home this season. Following tonight’s match, the players and fans will celebrate the Club’s 22nd league title win.

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Mascherano and Valdés cleared to play

FC Barcelona’s first team trained this Saturday in what was the penultimate session before Valladolid’s visit to the Camp Nou on Sunday (21:00). There was positive news coming from the session as Mascherano and Valdés have both been cleared to play by Barça’s medical team. Mascherano has recovered from a torn ligament in his right knee picked up on April 2nd in the match against Paris Saint-Germain in France. Valdés has been struggling with plantar fasciitis in his left foot for the past few weeks. Both players trained today with the group.

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Thursday training, Valdés works on the pitch


FC Barcelona’s preparations continue for Sunday’s league match against Valladolid at the Camp Nou. The team held a training session this Thursday morning at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper in which goalkeeper Víctor Valdés began to work on the pitch with his fellow keepers. Valdés continues to recover from plantar fasciitis and a calf strain in his left leg that have prevented him from taking any part in the last two league matches.

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Training, entire squad will travel to Madrid

Training, entire squad will travel to Madrid

All the members of FC Barcelona’s first team, including the injured players, will travel this Sunday to Madrid, where Barça will face Atlético Madrid (19:00). Coach Tito Vilanova has decided to bring all of his players because of the possibility of being proclaimed league champions at the Vicente Calderón.

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Preparations for Atlético Madrid continue

FC Barcelona continues to prepare for Sunday’s league match against Atlético Madrid (19:00). Tito Vilanova led the training session this Friday with all the available members of the first team squad, plus Juvenil A’s Sergi Samper.

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Mascherano begins training with the group

Mascherano begins training with the group

Javier Mascherano continues to make progress in his recovery and this Wednesday the player was able to train with his teammates for the first time since his injury against Paris Saint-Germain in France. The Argentine, who tore the internal ligament of his right knee in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, spent part of the session working with the group.

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Busquets and Abidal cleared to play, Pedro out

Busquets and Abidal cleared to play, Pedro out

Éric Abidal and Sergio Busquets have both been cleared to play by FC Barcelona’s medical staff following training on Sunday morning, which was the final session before the visit of Betis this evening (21:00). The two players, along with Messi, were able to train normally with the rest of the group. Pedro, meanwhile, did specific training work separate from his teammates.

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Saturday training with Messi and Busquets

Saturday training with Messi and Busquets

FC Barcelona’s first team was back at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper this Saturday morning. Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets were both able to train normally with the group. Defender Abidal was also able to continue working at the same pace as his teammates, as he had during Friday’s training session.

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Friday training without Messi or Valdés

FC Barcelona returned to training this Friday to prepare for the the league match on Sunday against Real Betis at the Camp Nou (21:00). Both Lionel Messi and Víctor Valdés were absent from today’s session. The Argentine forward, who remained on the bench against Bayern Munich on Wednesday, underwent physiotherapy. Tito Vilanova explained after the match on Wednesday that “against Athletic [Messi] felt a strange sensation” and, although he was not injured, they didn’t want to force him because “in one explosive effort [his hamstring] could tear.”

Valdés spent today’s session doing specific work. Because of his absence, Tito Vilanova asked Barça B goalkeeper Oier Olazábal to train with the first team.

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Final training session

Final training session

On Wednesday morning, FC Barcelona’s first team held its final training session before this evening’s match with Bayern Munich. As is usual for training sessions on match days, today’s session was more calm and relaxed as the 19 available players worked on finalizing certain details ahead of tonight’s game. Because only 18 players can make the final squad, Tito Vilanova will have to drop one player from the roster before the match.

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Training and squad list for Wednesday

FC Barcelona’s first team trained this Tuesday at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper in what was the team’s penultimate session before Bayern Munich’s visit to the Camp Nou on Wednesday.

Neither Sergio Busquets nor Éric Abidal will feature against the German team tomorrow. Busquets continues to recover from a groin injury, while Abidal has picked up a calf injury. The other two injured members of the squad, Carles Puyol and Javier Mascherano, did specific training work outside of the group at today’s session.

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Sunday’s training session

Sunday’s training session

FC Barcelona’s first team held a session this Sunday at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper focused on recovery. The starters from Saturday’s match at the San Mamés (2-2), plus Adriano and Messi, did post-match recovery work in the gym and physiotherapy, while the rest of the players trained outside in the rain in Sant Joan Despí. Four players from Barça B joined the first team for today’s session: Joan Angel Roman, Ie, Gus, and Oier.

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Training and squad list for Bilbao

Training and squad list for Bilbao

FC Barcelona’s first team held a training session this Friday to continue preparing for the match against Athletic Bilbao at San Mamés stadium, which will be Barça’s 100th match at La Catedral.

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Thursday training focuses on Bilbao

Thursday training focuses on Bilbao

FC Barcelona’s first team returned to training this Thursday for the first full session following the 4-0 loss in Munich. All the available players were present at the session, along with Barça B’s Bañuz. The squad began preparing for Saturday’s league match against Athletic Bilbao, in which Barça could mathematically be declared champions depending on the outcome of the Madrid derby (a win against Bilbao would be needed, along with a Madrid loss at the Calderón).

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Five players voluntarily train this Wednesday

Five players voluntarily train this Wednesday

Although FC Barcelona’s coaching staff gave the players a day off this Wednesday following the team’s return from Munich, a few members of the squad headed to the Ciutat Esportiva to train voluntarily.

Carles Puyol, Cristian Tello, Jordi Alba, Alex Song, and Martín Montoya worked at the club’s training center, hoping to overcome injury or maintain form for those that did not play against Bayern Munich.

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Training at the Allianz Arena

Training at the Allianz Arena

This Monday afternoon at 19:00, FC Barcelona held its first and last training session on the pitch of the Allianz Arena, the venue for Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg between Bayern Munich and Barça.

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Messi trains normally, makes squad for Munich

Messi trains normally, makes squad for Munich

Lionel Messi was able to train at the normal pace this Sunday morning, and though he has not yet been cleared to play by FC Barcelona’s medical staff, he is on the list of 21 players called up for the Champions League semi-final first leg against Bayern Munich. Messi’s recovery leaves just three players unavailable for Tuesday’s match: Mascherano and Puyol, both injured, and Adriano, who is suspended. Barça B goalkeeper Oier also makes the 21-man squad.

Squad list for Tuesday: Valdés, Pinto, Dani Alves, Piqué, Fàbregas, Xavi, Villa, Iniesta, Alexis, Messi, Thiago, Dos Santos, Bartra, Sergio, Pedro, Jordi Alba, Montoya, Abidal, Song, Tello, and Oier.

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Pinto cleared to play

José Manuel Pinto has received his medical clearance after training this Saturday at midday. The blaugrana’s ‘13’ missed the last league match at La Romareda against Rea Zaragoza owing to lumbago (low back pain).

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Messi begins training with the group

Messi begins training with the group

Lionel Messi started working with the group this Friday, spending part of FC Barcelona’s training session with the rest of his teammates. He continues to take steps forward in his recovery, having spent Thursday’s training session on the pitch of the Ciutat Esportiva doing physical conditioning work. Sergio Busquets, who is recovering from a groin injury, also trained with the group.

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Adeu Salva Bertomeu

Adeu Salva Bertomeu

Not a name most fans will recognize, but today first-team bus driver Salva Bertomeu retired. He has been driving our favorite coaches and players around for the past 12 years. In a classy move, the first team players and coaches invited him to training and gave him a proper ovation and send off.

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Thursday training, Messi on the pitch

This Thursday, Lionel Messi was back on the pitch at the Ciutat Esportiva. The Argentine, who injured the hamstring in his right leg during the Champions League match at the Parc des Princes, began doing physical conditioning work on the pitch at the training center.

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Wednesday’s training session

Wednesday’s training session

After two days off, FC Barelona’s first team returned to training this Wednesday morning. The session took place at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper, with the team’s focus on the next two matches. The first is a league match this Saturday at the Camp Nou against Levante (20:00), followed by Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg against Bayern Munich in Germany (20:45). Tito Vilanova led today’s session with all the available members of the first team, including Iniesta and Jordi Alba, who didn’t travel to Zaragoza. Jordi Masip, of Barça B, also joined the first team for the training session.

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Adriano trains with the group

Adriano trains with the group

Barcelona defender Adriano (28), who had to be subbed off against Paris Saint-Germain because of cramping, trained normally with his teammates today. If all goes according to plan he will be available for the game this Sunday against Zaragoza.

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Recovery session with Barça B

Recovery session with Barça B

This Thursday, FC Barcelona’s first team held a training session focused on recuperation together with the players of Barça B. The session took place on pitch no. 1 of the Ciutat Esportiva this morning, following yesterday’s qualification to the semi-finals of the Champions League. As is usual the day after a match, the players in the starting eleven spent the session doing recovery work. The rest of the group trained with the next match in mind, Sunday’s league game against Zaragoza.

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Final training session at the Camp Nou

Final training session at the Camp Nou

FC Barcelona held its final training session at the Camp Nou this Wednesday at midday, ahead of the second leg against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals. Working on the pitch were the 20 players called up for the match, including Messi, Pedro, and Adriano, though the three are yet to receive their medical clearances. The team will try this evening to make good on the first leg’s 2-2 result at the Parc des Princes.

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UPDATED: Messi trains with the group

UPDATED: Messi trains with the group

FC Barcelona’s first team held a training session this Tuesday afternoon at the Ciutat Esportiva to help prepare for tomorrow’s Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain. Lionel Messi was able to join his teammates, and was seen to be working normally with the group under the orders of Tito Vilanova during the opening minutes of the session. At the press conference before training, Jordi Roura noted the “positive evolution” of Messi’s recovery. Adriano and Pedro, without medical clearance, also trained at the same pace as the rest of their peers.

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Session dedicated to the Champions League return leg

Session dedicated to the Champions League return leg

Following the victory against Mallorca (5-0), Barça has turned all of its attention to the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals against Paris Saint-Germain this Wednesday. As is usual after a match, the starters from Saturday’s league game spent the Sunday morning session doing gentler recovery exercises. The rest of the available players held a more intense session. Adriano and Pedro worked with the group for the third session in a row, though neither has been granted medical clearance yet.

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Final training session before Mallorca’s visit

Tonight’s match against Mallorca will mark Tito Vilanova’s return to the bench at the Camp Nou for the first time since returning from New York. This last week saw Vilanova’s return to his first team managerial duties at the Parc des Princes in Paris, but this Saturday will be his first time at home in front of the Barça faithful.

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Adriano and Pedro train with the group

Adriano Correia and Pedro Rodríguez have made progress in their respective recoveries and this Friday morning both players were able to work with the group at the training session at the Ciutat Esportiva. The Brazilian wing back suffered a hamstring injury in his right leg on March 17 while Barça’s ‘17’ has been recovering from a calf injury in his left leg picked up on the 27th of last month.

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Recovery session with four Barça B players

Recovery session with four Barça B players

FC Barcelona’s players were back at work following Tuesday’s draw in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals against Paris Saint-Germain. The players, who returned from Paris in the early morning hours, trained at the Ciutat Esportiva this Wednesday morning. The session took place without Messi and Mascherano, who were both injured at the Parc des Princes, and the starters against PSG spent the session doing recovery work.

The rest of the team trained focused on the next game, a league match on Saturday against Mallorca at the Camp Nou (22:00). Four Barça B players took part in today’s session: goalkeeper Oier Olazábal, forward Gerard Deulofeu, midfielder Sergi Roberto, and defender Marc Muniesa.

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