There was one major absence in the training today, as Pedri did not take part once again, with Hansi Flick confirming that the midfielder would not be available for the game through discomfort. The discomfort appeared during the minutes he played in the Copa del Rey match against CD Guadalajara earlier this week.
Tommy Marques has quietly become a familiar figure around Barcelona's first-team environment under Hansi Flick. The 19-year-old midfielder has been a constant presence in training sessions in recent weeks, regularly working alongside established senior players. Yet despite that growing exposure, his official first-team debut has so far remained out of reach. As Barcelona prepare to begin their Copa del Rey campaign against CD Guadalajara, there is a growing sense that the competition may once again serve as the perfect platform for youth integration.
When he's on the bench, it shows also we have a good team. In this position we have excellent players. What I can say, he's an absolute professional player. His attitude, mentality is great. In the beginning, he had to adapt a little bit, but now he's on his best level.
The Champions League is different. Everything that's happened up until now doesn't matter. Eintracht has a good, young, fast, and intense team. They can adapt to the system, and we'll have to show our best. It will be difficult because they can hurt us a lot, even though their last few matches haven't been good. Everyone knows what we've been through these last three months, with injured players, and we had to manage playing time.