There are only two possible changes to the FC Barcelona squad that will play at Alaves on Sunday. Inigo Martinez is an injury doubt, in his own words, so we’ll see if his passes his late fitness test or not. Elsewhere Eric Garcia was suspended for the 5-0 rout of Young Boys on Tuesday night, so having missed out in midweek, he’ll be fresh and sharp for this one.
Beyond Martinez and Garcia, Frenkie de Jong returned to action, FINALLY, in continental competition, having fully recovered from his long-term ankle injury.
FC Barcelona at Alaves
Kickoff: Sun. Oct. 6, 4:15 CET, Mendizorrotza, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
FC Barcelona Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
La Liga Standing, Form: Alaves 11th, 12 pts, WLWLL FC Barcelona 1st, 21 pts, WWWWL
Google Result Probability: Alaves 17% Draw 21% FC Barcelona 62%
FC Barcelona Team News
Now the Dutchman could play again in the league, for the first time in a very long time. However, the Barca injury absentee list remains very long.
Gavi (ACL surgery recovery) is coming closer to a return, but he likely won’t feature until after the international break. And of course, the likes of Andreas Christensen, Ronald Araujo, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Fermin Lopez, Dani Olmo and Marc Bernal remain in the Blaugranes treatment room.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.