More problems for Xavi Hernández. This Sunday, in the game that faced FC Barcelona against Almería at the Power Horse Stadium, the casualties of Gavi and the Barça coach himself were confirmed to receive Valencia after seeing the fifth yellow card. Both were warned and will not be able to be in the next league game. Yesterday morning it was possible to know another safe loss, and this time in the form of an injury. Barça will not be able to count on Robert Lewandowski, top scorer in LaLiga either.
The Polish striker finished the match against Almería with muscular discomfort and will have to be out for approximately two weeks. «The first team player Robert Lewandowski has an overload in the biceps femoris of the left thigh. He is low and his evolution will mark his availability », read the official statement of the culé team.
Barça-Valencia is next Sunday at 4:15 p.m., so there is no option for him to arrive at the game. Lewandowski will also miss the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals against Madrid and the game of the twenty-fifth round of the league in San Mamés, although he could shorten the deadlines to be against Madrid in the second leg, in no case would he arrive on time to face Valencia.
The already mentioned losses of Gavi, Lewandowski and Xavi are added to those of Pedri González and Ousmanne Dembelé, who continue with their recovery process from their respective ailments. Thus, Barça will receive Valencia without several of its most important stars. And, be careful, that some more could fall in the cup game on Thursday against Real Madrid.
The midfield will be ‘B’: Gavi and Pedri have been the regular starters along with Sergi Busquets and Frenkie de Jong, but on this occasion the Catalan and the Dutchman will have to be accompanied by a less common footballer with less weight in the team like Kessié or return Sergi Roberto to the midfield if Xavi does not want to play with the young Pablo Torre in the midfield.
The options that the Egarense coach has for the forward are also very scarce. In fact, only two footballers arrive, if nothing else happens, in full condition. They are Ferran Torres and Raphinha, to which Ansu Fati must also be added, although, in this case, he will return after missing the last LaLiga game against Almería, so it will be necessary to see if he is able to start . The logical thing would be for Raphinha to appear on the right wing and for Ferran Torres to play nine, but he is about to see Xavi’s bet.
