Advantage Barcelona? Aitana Bonmati's five-month injury lay-off nearing end as three-time Ballon d'Or winner returns to training ahead of Champions League semi-final with Bayern Munich

Earlier this month, Bonmati started to partake in some of the group training again with Barca, as she neared the end of her recovery process after suffering the leg break in a training session with Spain in late November. Then, on Monday evening, Barca celebrated her full return to team sessions on social media, accompanied with a video of the midfielder addressing the squad about her comeback.

"I'm a little nervous. It's like my first day at school after the summer," she joked. "Many of you have been through injuries like this. You know what it's like. It's not easy but I think I've managed to find the positives. This time has been very good for me. Now, [I'm] ready to contribute whatever I can from my part, do my bit in this great season that you're having and for the goals that remain. There's a month and a half at most and I think we'll make it. So, thank you, and let's keep going."

Barca have performed admirably well this season considering one of their best players has spent most of it on the sidelines. Victorious in the Supercopa de Espana in January before claiming a seventh successive league title last month, the Catalans are also into the Copa de la Reina final and the semi-finals of the Champions League, in which they will face Bayern Munich, with the first leg this weekend.

It's not just Bonmati who Barca have had to cope without in that time, either. Mapi Leon, their world-class centre-back; Patri Guijarro, arguably the best holding midfielder in the world; and Laia Aleixandri, who arrived from Manchester City in the summer; are among the many others who have had significant spells out injured. Those absences have hit harder this season, too, because Barca were not able to build as big a squad for this year due to financial restraints impacting the whole club.

Fortunately, Barca have been able to deal with those setbacks well. That's because of the electric form of players like Alexia Putellas, Ewa Pajor and Claudia Pina, while there are also a number of young players who have stepped up while key names have been sidelined. Those include La Masia graduates such as Clara Serrajordi and Aicha Camara, as well as the likes of Sydney Schertenleib and Vicky Lopez, who joined Barca from other clubs as teenagers.

"Losing Aitana was really a shock to us," Esmee Brugts, the 22-year-old full-back who is into her third season at the club after signing from PSV Eindhoven as a talented young prospect herself, said this week. "I was really sad to hear about this news, knowing that she's such an important player for us. She always steps up in those big games. Knowing her, she always wants to play every game, so to know that she would be out for a long time was a really sad moment.

"It also maybe is explainable that it happened because we have maybe more games and fewer players, which is a lot of load to the players. I've been injured also and there have been more examples like that. But also, whenever we are with fewer players, maybe we have more chances for the younger girls to step up and I think they did really great.

"In the end, we are always stronger whenever, when everybody is available. So I'm happy that Aitana is back in training now and those big games coming up with everybody fit is what we want."

To have Bonmati back for the run-in is a huge boost. Barca have already wrapped up two titles but there are still two more finish lines to get across and the contributions of a player who has won all of the last three Ballons d'Or will be very welcome. The Champions League in particular is a competition the Catalans will be desperate to win, after losing 1-0 to Arsenal in last year's final.

So, could Bonmati be available as the semi-finals begin this weekend? It's unclear at this moment whether she is far enough along in her recovery timeline to be declared fit for Saturday's first leg, which will be hosted by Bayern Munich. After all, she is in the very early stages of being back in training with the team.

Still, it's clear that she believes she can make an impact in these next few weeks, as Barca chase their second quadruple in the last three years.