Barcelona handed triple recovery boost amid news of Gerard Pique's calf injury

Barcelona have received a triple boost ahead of their upcoming games against Dynamo Kiev and Celta Vigo this week after three key players returned to training following spells out with injury. The Catalan club, however, will be missing one very important player after it was confirmed that Gerard Pique will be sidelined for the foreseeable future after suffering a calf strain.

Sergi Barjuan will have Frenkie de Jong, Ansu Fati and possibly Ousmane Dembele for the trip to Kiev. The former two have only been out for two games, against Rayo Vallecano and Alaves, while Dembele is yet to play this season.

De Jong aggravated a hamstring injury against Real Madrid in October, and missed the next two games. Fati, on the other hand, had a minor knock on his knee that saw him sit out the same two games.

De Jong and Fati were regular starters under former manager Ronald Koeman, and Barjuan will be glad to have the attacking midfielder and forward back in the squad for the all-important Champions League clash against Dynamo. It is a must win game for Barcelona if they want to have a chance to make it to the knockout stages of the competition.

Dembele, on the other hand, is yet to play a game this season having sustained a knee injury while on international duty with France at this summer's European Championship. The speedy winger returned to first-team training in recent weeks and could get the nod to make his return to the match day squad for the upcoming games.

It remains to be seen if Dembele's contract stand off with the club comes in the way of the Frenchman returning to the lineup. The 24-year-old's current deal expires in 2022 and he is yet to accept Barcelona's offer to extend until 2024 as he continues to assess the other options on the table.

Meanwhile, Barcelona will be without senior defender Pique after he picked up a calf strain during the 1-1 draw against Alaves on Sunday. He is expected to miss the upcoming games, with the club yet to give a clear timeline for his return. The La Liga giants are also without Pedri, who is still to recover from a thigh injury that has kept him out since before the last international break.