The injury crisis has finally caught up to FC Barcelona. Yesterday, we saw the Blaugranes suffer their first La Liga loss of the season, 4-2 to Osasuna. While the absence of Marc-Andre ter Stegen was certainly on display, the problems extended far beyond his replacement, Inaki Pena. The good news is that four of their injured players: Frenkie de Jong, Dani Olmo, Fermin Lopez and Gavi should be back before too long.
They need them back as fast as possible, with a very quick turnaround coming Tuesday night in the UEFA Champions League.
UEFA Champions League Matchday 2 of 8
FC Barcelona vs Young Boys
Kickoff: Tues. Oct. 1, ppm, Olympic Stadium, Barcelona, Catalonia
FC Barcelona Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
UCL Standing, Form: FC Barcelona 22nd, 0 pts, -1GD, L Young Boys 33rd, 0, -3GD, L
FC Barcelona Team News vs Young Boys
October is so close now that you can start counting down the hours, and De Jong (ankle), Olmo (muscle problem), Lopez (muscular issue) and Gavi (recovery from ACL tear) are all expected back at some point between now and mid-October.
Meanwhile Ronald Araujo (hamstring) is expected back at some point in November. For Andreas Christensen, the return date is some time in the new year. In other words, Hansi Flick is going to have to figure it out, and make do with what he has in the near term.
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.