Barcelona are facing a crisis in midfield ahead of their Champions League quarter-final tie against Atletico Madrid, with only Pedri and Marc Casado considered to be fully fit for this week’s first leg at the Spotify Camp Nou – Gavi is not yet ready to start.
It comes after Marc Bernal injured his ankle during the weekend win over Los Colchoneros at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano. He’s only expected to be out for 10 days, but it means he could miss both legs of the Atleti tie, which could be desperately bad news for Barcelona considering the teenager’s recent form.
At the moment, Bernal has joined Frenkie de Jong on the sidelines, although the Dutch midfielder is nearing a return. Hansi Flick confirmed he will be back in training this week, and according to MD, the plan is for him to receive the medical green light in time for Saturday’s derby clash against Espanyol.
De Jong suffered a hamstring tear during a training session in late February, and initially, he was set to miss 5-6 weeks of action. That gave him a slim chance of being involved at all during the upcoming Atleti tie, but if he comes through the match with Espanyol, he would have chances to play in the second leg at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.
De Jong has had an inconsistent season thus far, as he has gone through patches of good and bad form. He has been a nailed starter for Flick, but with Bernal having impressed of late and Gavi nearing a return to full fitness, he will find it tough to go back to having a consistent place in the line-up.
For now, de Jong’s focus will be on returning to action this weekend, which is timely good news for Barcelona on the injury front.
