Overview
- Rodri has finished the club’s tailored post‑World Cup rehabilitation and has trained normally with the first team this week.
- He has appeared only as a substitute so far, playing 27 minutes against Athletic Club and 26 minutes versus Rayo Vallecano.
- Reports say Flick is weighing whether to give Rodri a first start at Valencia or to wait for the Champions League match with Feyenoord.
- Young midfielder Marc Bernal has performed strongly in Rodri’s absence, giving Barcelona cover and allowing the coach to rotate minutes.
- Rodri’s upcoming Spain duties and a packed run of LaLiga and Champions League matches mean Barcelona plan to increase his minutes slowly to avoid overload.