FCBARCELONA.CAT

22.12.2007 20:01

Henry back in the groove

www.fcbarcelona.cat

Thierry Henry's return to fitness is the big news from the Barça camp ahead of the visit of Real Madrid on Sunday as he has been named in the 19-man squad.

A month after being sidelined with a back injury, the French striker has been given the green light to play again and he is available to appear in el Clásico. Lilian Thuram is also included in the squad after missing the victory against Valencia in Mestalla last weekend. Edmílson and Santi Ezquerro are rested, while Lionel Messi and Oleguer are out injured.

T he last session

On Saturday evening, Barça went through their final training session before the game as heavy rain fell on the training pitch in front of La Masia. The only players that were not present were Messi and Oleguer as Frank Rijkaard ironed out the last few details before the big game on Sunday.

Change of setting

As is normal on the day before a game, the training session was held behind closed doors. Rijkaard opted to switch the practice from the Camp Nou to La Masia and that allowed several fans to watch from the viewing area, as a few brave supporters turned up despite the unfavourable conditions. With such a huge match on the horizon, nobody wanted to miss a thing and pass on their messages of support to their idols.