While there was no real FC Barcelona team news to discuss entering the weekend, lately, but everything changed in the aftermath of the draw with Athletic Club today. Two midfielders, Frenkie de Jong and Pedri, were forced off during the first half in San Mames on Sunday.
Given the rash of long-term injuries that the Catalan Club were already enduring, they now have a full blown fitness crisis in the middle of the park.
Both players have already been set back by injury on previous occasion this season.
Pedri suffered his third muscle injury of the term today, needing to be subbed off just before halftime.
A hamstring problem, occurring in August, kept him out a couple months while an unspecified muscular issue sidelined him for three weeks during the festive period.
De Jong meanwhile had to be stretchered off in the 26th minute, after landing gruesomely on his ankle. The Dutchman suffered an ankle sprain earlier this season, which kept him out of action for two months.
Additionally, Gavi, Alejandro Balde, Marcos Alonso, and Ferran Torres have been unavailable for awhile, and won’t be back any time soon.
Barcelona are focused on first staying in the top four, and with it in the UEFA Champions League next season.
Secondly, the Catalan club is going to go hard core, all out, trying to win the UCL, the only remaining opportunity they have for a trophy this season.
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. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Twitter.