FC Barcelona head into the La Liga weekend on the heels of back-to-back losses, and thus the supporter base is getting more than a bit restless. On top of that, they have a substantial injury list, which includes midfielder Frenkie de Jong.
The Dutchman missed the Blaugranes sixth and final UEFA Champions League group stage match due to a fever, and we’ll just have to wait and see if the midfielder will be over this unspecified illness in time to play in the match at Valencia on Saturday.
FC Barcelona at Valencia FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. Dec. 16, 8pm, Mestalla, Valencia, Spain
Barca Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
La Liga Standing: Barca 4th, 34 pts, LWDWW Valencia 11th, 19 pts LLDLW
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Google Result Probability: Barca 58% Draw 24% Valencia 18%
Barca Team News
There is another issue with De Jong however- he’s on his fourth yellow card, in just nine appearances. Thus, De Jong is at a high risk of getting suspended due to yellow card accumulation.
Elsewhere Robert Lewandowski and Ilkay Gundogan were initially left out of the traveling party to Antwerp for the midweek UEFA Champions League clash. However, they were later included and then even played! The Catalan club also still has a quartet of longer-term injured players too: Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Gavi, Inigo Martinez and Marcos Alonso.
Ter Stegen (back injury) is out until most likely February while Gavi will be sidelined until the middle of next summer with an ACL tear.
Martinez, battling a hamstring issue, should return in the new year while Alonso has back problems that will keep him on the sidelines for an indetermined amount of time.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager 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’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.