A slightly different return to work for the blaugranes after the Christmas break with the traditional open door training session at the Estadi Johan Cruyff. Ronald Araujo and Dani Olmo also returned to train with their team mates in a workout that marks the beginning of preparations for the Catalan derby against Espanyol in the New Year. 

The open door session saw plenty of smiling faces and took place as part of the 'Blaugrana Wristbands' project led by the Barça Foundation. After the win against Villarreal before the break in La Liga, attention now turns to the game on 3 January at the RCDE Stadium, kick off 9pm CET. 

Araujo and Olmo back

Some 5,530 fans were present for the session at the Estadi Johan Cruyff with two players catching the eye, the returning Ronald Araujo and Dani Olmo. Coach Hansi Flick had all his players available with the exception of the injured Gavi and Andreas Christensen. 

The squad began the session with a warm up lap in front of the fans and continued with stretches and sprints before adding in some ball work. Hansi Flick supervised proceedings, keeping a keen eye on his players. 

At the end of the session the players kicked balls into the crowd to mark a great day for the fans as they witnessed the blaugranes' first session back after the holidays. Looking ahead to the city derby with Espanyol, midfielder Pedri admitted at the end of the session, "it will not be an easy game but we will go out there with a winning mentality." The squad are now firmly focused on getting off to a winning start in 2026. 

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