Barcelona midfielder still not back in group training ahead of Rayo Vallecano clash

Barcelona midfielder still not back in group training ahead of Rayo Vallecano clash FC Barcelona continued preparations for Monday’s meeting with Rayo Vallecano, who visit the Spotify Camp Nou in the third round of La Liga fixtures. After Friday’s session, when only the players who had played fewer minutes or had not featured against Athletic Club trained at high intensity, the entire squad worked together on Saturday. The final session before the third matchday will take place Sunday at 11:00, followed by Hansi Flick’s press conference at 13:00. Gavi continues his recovery And, as reported by Mundo Deportivo , fan-favourite Barcelona midfielder Gavi was again absent from group training as he continues his recovery from the knock to his right knee suffered against Elche. The midfielder was forced off in the first half of the season-opening fixture at Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero, and Flick explained on Wednesday that the club expected him to need around a week before returning to training with his teammates. Gavi suffered an injury vs Elche. (Photo by Francisco Macia/Getty Images) The current plan is for Gavi to resume normal training after the Rayo Vallecano match, allowing him to prepare for the following fixture against Valencia . Livakovic completes another session Meanwhile, new signing Dominik Livakovi took part in his second training session since completing his move to Barcelona. The Croatian goalkeeper signed a four-year contract and watched Thursday’s victory over Athletic Club from the Spotify Camp Nou. He trained for the first time with the squad on Friday . The club’s intention is for Livakovic to remain with the first-team squad as Joan Garcia’s backup, while competing with Wojciech Szczesny for the role. Livakovic completed his second training session. (Photo courtesy: FC Barcelona official website) However, Livakovic is still awaiting registration in La Liga. That could have an impact on Monday’s squad selection. Four Barça Atletic players involved Flick also called up four players from Barça Atletic for the session today. Goalkeeper Eder Aller trained with the senior team and could be included in Monday’s squad because Livakovic has not yet been registered. Jesse Bisiwu also remains waiting for some bureaucratic matters to be resolved before he can officially compete, but he trained alongside the first team. Brian Farinas and Hamza Abdelkarim completed the session as well, giving Flick additional options from the club’s academy system.