Travel day

Well, not only travel, some other news too.

Firts of all: MESSI IS BACK! Yay, he participated in morning training with team.
The squad had their final training session in Barcelona ahead of Wednesday’s game and good news for Pep Guardiola was that the Argentinean star was back in training with the rest of the players. Abidal was also back with the squad after arriving back in Barcelona on Friday and working over the weekend to regain his fitness. The only absentee from the session was Adriano, who picked up an injury in the first half against Bilbao and is definitely out of Wednesday’s game (get well soon Adriano!).

As well as the first team squad, 11 Barca B players joined the session - Ilie, Aramando, Planas, Oriol Romeu, Benja, Rochina, Saúl, Carmona, Víctor Vázquez, Tello and Thiago., who played the last ten minutes of Saturday’s game against Bilbao.

Photos from morning:










Look at Pinto! His has 'normal' hair again!






(yes it's Messi, well part of him, pay attention to socks! he put wrong socks, his sponsor is Adidas not Nike, so he tried to hide logos:P)

Leo Messi was called into the squad for the Champions League trip, even though the medical staff have not yet given him the all clear to play following his injury at the Vicente Calderon. Eric Abidal is also back and Thiago Alcántara repeats his call up for the Bilbao game.

The full list for the trip is: Valdés, Pinto, Alves, Piqué, Puyol, Milito, Maxwell, Abidal, Busquets, Mascherano, Keita, Xavi, Iniesta, Thiago, Pedro, Jeffren, Bojan, Villa and Messi

Club President Sandro Rosell is travelling with the squad to Kazan - his first trip with the team since taking over earlier this year. The party also includes vice-president Carles Vilarrubí and board members Jordi Moix, Eduard Coll, Javier Bordas, Silvio Elías and Josep Ramon Vidal Abarca. Sporting Director Andoni Zubizarreta, Head of External Relations Manel Estiarte, Footballing Director Raül Sanllehí and head of relations with UEFA Amador Bernabéu also make the trip.

The squad left the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper -where they trained this morning - at 12.15 and caught a 13.20 flight to Kazan.

Photos anyone? (I know you love photos too!)





















The Barça party arrive in Russia this Monday at 20.20 local time (18.20 Catalan time), after a five hour flight to find the Kazan city enjoying 15º temperatures.










The squad were whisked off to their hotel on arrival and tomorrow will see them go through a busy afternoon with Pep Guardiola and Gerard Piqué facing the press at 18.15, before the squad trains at the Centralny Stadium, where the game will be played on Wednesday.