Pedri reveals why he asked to be substituted during Barcelona's Champions League rout of Galatasaray as midfielder eases injury fears

The Blaugrana midfielder cleared up any injury anxiety by revealing the reason behind his early exit during Barcelona's Champions League demolition of Galatasaray. He was withdrawn in the 73rd minute for Marc Bernal, with the visitors already cruising at 4-1 up. The impressive victory kept Hansi Flick's side on a flawless run, stretching their winning streak to 10 matches across all competitions after sweeping aside all eight of their La Liga fixtures so far.

Barcelona were initially stunned by Aleksey Batrakov's opening strike and narrowly escaped going two goals down when Baris Alper Yilmaz's effort was chalked off by VAR, before Joao Cancelo restored parity on the stroke of half-time. Following the restart, the visitors ran riot through Fermin Lopez's 50th-minute header, Anthony Gordon's maiden Champions League goal for Barca three minutes later, and a 65th-minute strike from substitute Karim Adeyemi.

Clearing up any lingering doubts regarding his early departure, Pedri explained his physical condition to Movistarafter the match: "My stomach was hurting and I was feeling a bit unwell. It was better to ask for a change and let someone fresh come on."

Reflecting on his side's composure in turning the game around after the break, he added: "I think in the first half we were too hasty in trying to play the final pass. When they get ahead in an atmosphere like this, it is difficult, but I'm focusing on the team's reaction. The second half was spectacular.

"We had the ball and saw a lot of space, so we were forcing that final pass. It was a matter of passing it around a bit more to let the attackers get into position. When they get the ball near the box, they are decisive."

The four-goal haul in Turkey propelled Barca to the top of the league phase standings with nine goals from two matches, following their 5-1 rout of Feyenoord on matchday one. Overall, the Catalan giants have scored 84 goals in 28 Champions League games under Flick, yielding the highest goals-per-game ratio (3) for any club with 20 or more matches under a single manager since 1992-93.

Addressing his team's attacking potency and squad depth this season, Pedri noted: "We have a lot of confidence. People were saying we lacked goals, but we are showing that this squad has plenty of firepower. It's only the start of the season, so we keep going.

"I think there is always speculation, but it's clear we can score plenty of goals. We have a lot of quality players coming off the bench as well. The squad is very deep and very good, and you can see that on the pitch."

Looking ahead to the crucial run of fixtures on the horizon, the midfielder insisted: "Some very important matches are coming up. It's the start of the season, but these games matter. We need to enjoy them and, above all, win."

Confirmation that Pedri avoided muscular damage brings welcome relief to the coaching staff ahead of a demanding schedule across domestic and continental fronts. Their next stern European test comes when Barcelona travel to France to face Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, October 20. Meanwhile, Turkish Super Lig leaders Galatasaray must swiftly regroup in pursuit of their first league phase win when they host Lille the following day.