After a narrow win over Leganés to maintain their lead in LaLiga, FC Barcelona heads to Germany to try to seal their place in the Champions League semifinals for the first time since 2019, with a star reinforcement. That reinforcement is Dani Olmo, who trained yesterday without issues alongside his teammates and is the main new addition in Hansi Flick’s squad.

Dani Olmo returns to Barcelona for the Champions League

Dani Olmo was the main casualty in Barcelona’s well-known match against Osasuna after the FIFA break. He had just logged significant minutes with Spain in the Nations League quarterfinal against the Netherlands, and just minutes after scoring a penalty to make it 2-0, he asked to be subbed off due to minor muscle discomfort. That injury kept him sidelined for Barcelona’s last five matches.

His goal was to be ready in time for the second leg against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League quarterfinals, and now it looks like Barcelona will indeed be able to count on Dani Olmo. It will be a special match for him, since during his time at Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund was the Bundesliga opponent he scored the most goals against (3), second only to Bayern Munich (4).

Dani Olmo could see minutes in the second half

Without a doubt, he’s a star reinforcement for Hansi Flick as they look to clinch a semifinal berth in the Champions League, following a commanding 4-0 win over Borussia Dortmund at Montjuic. However, although squad rotation is expected, it’s unlikely that Dani Olmo will go straight into the starting lineup after several weeks out.

In his absence, his spot has been filled by Fermín López, who’s made the most of the opportunity and seems to have overtaken Gavi in the rotation for the attacking midfield role at Barcelona, ahead of Pedri and Frenkie de Jong. There’s still some doubt about who will start against Borussia Dortmund, but one thing seems clear: Dani Olmo will begin on the bench and could come on in the second half.