FC Barcelona focus on the derby against Espanyol

With the Copa del Rey on hold following Barça’s 1-0 win over Valencia in the first leg of their semi-final, attention now returns to La Liga. Before the cup second leg in Mestalla next Thursday, Ernesto Valverde’s team have a league fixture away at city rivals Espanyol.

With Sunday’s clash at 4.15pm CET at the RCDE Stadium in mind, the first team trained on Friday at the Ciutat Esportiva, a session that saw the return of André Gomes after his recovery from a stomach bug.

Also involved in the session were , Aleñá, Ruiz de Galarreta, O.Busquets, David Costas, Marc Cardona from the Barça B squad and Lazar Carevic from the U19s. The day’s workout was notable for the birthday of central defender Gerard Piqué, who turned 31 years of age on Friday.