Ilkay Gundogan now finds himself on the list of the FC Barcelona walking wounded. Gundogan will miss out on today’s season opener at Valencia, due to the head injury that he suffered on Monday in the Joan Camper Trophy game. The situation is not thought to be serious, as this is more precautionary.
FC Barcelona at Valencia CF FYIs
La Liga Season Kickoff
Sat. Aug. 17, 9:30pm, Mestalla Stadion, Valencia, Spain
Barca Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Google Result Probability: Barca 56% Draw 24% Valencia CF 20%
But the absence of the German midfielder just piles on the lack of options in the middle of the park.
Frenkie de Jong may be passed fit for this affair, but he’s been slowed by injury this preseason.
Gavi (ACL) is on the shelf for awhile. Meanwhile Ronald Araújo and Ansu Fati are also sidelined due to injury.
It’s a somewhat similar situation with Fermín López. He’s not fully re-integrated with his Barca mates, after playing for Spain at the Euros, and then the Olympics this summer.
Elsewhere the Catalan club splashed the cash, to the tune of €55 million ($60.6m), for RB Leipzig forward Dani Olmo, but he is not fully integrated into his new team yet.
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.
