Just a little over an hour ago, the La Liga team of the season was announced, and it includes three Blaugranes: central defender Ronald Araujo, midfielder Ilkay Gundogan and striker Robert Lewandowski. So FC Barcelona have representation in all three outfield position groups.
Heading into the weekend fixture against Rayo Vallecano, the first name on that list is an injury doubt, with knee problems.
FC Barcelona vs Rayo Vallecano FYIs
Kickoff: Sunday May 19, Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Barca Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
La Liga Standing, Form: Rayo Vallecano 15th, 38 pts, WDLLW FC Barcelona 2nd, 79 pts, WWLWL
Google Result Probability: Rayo Vallecano 8% Draw 15% FC Barcelona 77%
Most likely Araujo will be fine to play though. There are no other new injury concerns at this time, with just the trio of long-term injury absentees, all of which have been ruled out for quite some time: Frenkie de Jong, Gavi and Alejandro Balde.
However, four players: Oriol Romeu, Sergi Roberto, Jules Kounde and Andreas Christensen are all at risk of suspension, as each member of the quartet is one booking away from hitting that critical fifth.
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 Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.