Barcelona winger Pedro is hoping to give boss Luis Enrique a selection dilemma ahead of tomorrow night’s Champions League showdown with Paris Saint-Germain.
– Magnificent Messi fires Barcelona to 5-1 derby day win over Espanyol
Luis Suarez has been in the starting line-up ahead of Pedro, but the Uruguayan has endured a difficult first six weeks in Barca colours after making his belated debut in the 3-1 Clasico loss against Real Madrid following the end of his post-World Cup suspension at the end of October.
Suarez has so far only scored one goal in eight outings, and that came against lightweight opposition as Barca brushed aside Cypriot minnows APOEL with a 4-0 victory in their most recent European encounter.
Sunday’s blank in the local derby against Espanyol means that Suarez has now made six appearances in La Liga without scoring, and the muted reception he received from the Nou Camp crowd upon being substituted was a clear demonstration that he has not yet won over the Barca faithful.
In contrast, Pedro appears to be finally finding his form after a slow start to the season, scoring his team’s fourth goal and then providing the assist for Lionel Messi’s hat-trick strike within 11 minutes of replacing Suarez in Sunday’s 5-1 win over Espanyol.
“I have to make the most of every opportunity. It’s tough competing with Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez for a place in the team, but what I’m doing is learning from them, improving every day and helping my team-mates the best I can," he said.
Pedro also noted that he has overcome previous threats to his place in the team, outlasting superstars such as Wednesday’s opponent Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Spain’s all-time leading scorer David Villa and Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez.
“I’ve always had good team-mates at Barca,” he added. “And you have to perform at a high level.”
PSG top Group F by one point, meaning a point in the Nou Camp will see them progress as winner. Barca must win to seal a favourable knockout draw.