After a painfully long recovery from a severe injury, Pablo Paez Gavira, known as Gavi, is set for a return to Barcelona’s squad. The 20-year-old will be in the lineup for their match against Sevilla this Sunday at 21:00, in the 10th round of the Spanish Primera.The last time we saw this exceptional young talent in a Barcelona jersey was on November 7th last year against Shakhtar in the Champions League. Just 13 days later, while playing for Spain against Georgia, he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right leg, resulting in a lengthy absence. Initially, doctors said there was no chance he would play again before December of this year, but fortunately, his recovery was quicker than expected. He is set to return to the squad after 335 days.Gavi’s back! pic.twitter.com/pvnOukEU8X— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 20, 2024 Of course, it will take Gavi some time to regain his pre-injury form, and coach Hans-Dieter Flick is well aware of that, stating that he won’t push him too hard. However, the mere presence of the super-talented playmaker on the pitch will bring positive energy to the Catalans, and it couldn’t come at a better time.The match against Sevilla will kick off a challenging period for Barcelona, which continues on Wednesday with a Champions League clash against Bayern. After that, they face Real Madrid (October 26th) at the Santiago Bernabeu, a city derby against Espanyol (November 3rd), Red Star at the Belgrade ‘Marakana’ in the Champions League (November 6th), and then Real Sociedad in San Sebastián (November 10th). It’s a relief for Flick to be able to count on the young player, who already has 27 caps (five goals) for the Spanish national team and 111 appearances for Barcelona’s first team (seven goals and 14 assists).”Gavi’s situation is special, and what I can say for now is that he’ll be on the bench. With his mentality and the way he channels his aggression, Gavi can play in both midfield roles. However, we must be patient,” Flick emphasized.With a 2-1 win over Celta on Saturday, Real Madrid are now level on points with Barcelona at the top of the table, though the La Liga leaders still have their 10th-round match to play.Dial M for murder: grandad Modric saves nervous RoyalsAt first glance, Barcelona seem like the clear favorite, as Sevilla currently sits 12th in the table with half the points (12). However, the Andalusian side has been in better form recently, winning two of their last three matches against Valladolid (2-1) and Betis (1-0), and drawing 1-1 with Atlético in Bilbao. They now come to Montjuïc with renewed confidence.It’s been a long time since Sevilla managed a positive result against Barcelona. Their last victory came in February 2021 in the Copa del Rey, though it wasn’t enough for an overall triumph in the two-legged tie. As for La Liga, Sevilla hasn’t beaten Barcelona since October 2015, when they won 2-1 at home.##EDITORS_CHOICE##The last time Sevilla avoided defeat against Barcelona was in December 2021 (1-1), but they have lost the last five encounters, scoring just one goal in those matches.In Barcelona, Sevilla has managed just two draws and 19 losses in their last 21 visits.LA LIGA – MATCHDAY 10FridayAlaves – Valladolid 2-3 (1-1)/Martinez 6, Garcia 90+7 – Sylla 17 pen, Amallah 72 pen, Anuar 76/SaturdayAth.Bilbao – Espanyol 4-1 (3-0)/Vivian 6, Williams I. 28, 30, Berenguer 55 – Tejero 90+2/Osasuna – Betis 1-2 (0-1)/Torro 59 – Vitor Roque 7, Avila 73/Girona – Sociedad 0-1 (0-1)/Oyarzabal 44/Celta – Real Madrid 1-2 (0-1)/Swedberg 51 – Mbappe 20, Vinicius Jr 66/Sunday15:00: (2.15) Mallorca (3.20) Rayo Vallecano (4.00)17:15: (1.35) Atl.Madrid (4.60) Leganes (10.5)19:30: (1.78) Villareal (3.50) Getafe (4.80)22:00: (1.32) Barcelona (5.60) Sevilla (8.50)Monday22:00: (1.80) Valencia (3.60) Las Palmas (5.10)***odds are subject to change***
