Barcelona’s injury concerns are growing ahead of their Europa League clash against Manchester United.
Barcelona’s injury woes could have worsened after Sergio Busquets was forced off just minutes into their La Liga clash against Sevilla on Sunday. Xavi has already lost Ousmane Dembele and may now be without his key midfielder for the Europa League tie against Manchester United later this month.
The France winger suffered a thigh injury in the first half of last month’s La Liga game against Girona, leading to a 26th-minute withdrawal in the 1-0 win.
A subsequent club statement read: “Test this evening on Ousmane Dembele have revealed that he has strained the rectus femoris muscle in his left thigh. It means he is sidelined until he can recover from the injury.”
Various reports claimed it would rule Dembele out for four weeks, meaning he would miss the Europa League knockout play-off against United.
And Barcelona boss Xavi will now be sweating over the fitness of Busquets, who limped off in Sunday’s La Liga fixture against Sevilla.
Franck Kessie replaced the 34-year-old, who visibly looked disappointed, after just eight minutes, leaving a big question mark over his availability for the United test.
Xavi will likely provide an update on Busquets’ condition after the Sevilla clash, but his withdrawal has left millions of fans holding their breath.
The Barca coach emphasised how big a loss Dembele was after his injury blow last weekend, losing quality in attack and defence.
He said: “We don’t know because he has a muscle injury that is difficult to predict. It will depend a lot on how he feels as well.
“It’s a sensitive loss. He was in a moment of extraordinary confidence. He gave us good attacking and defensive work too. It is a difficult loss to recover. We will try not to show it.”
United have injury issues of their own, especially in midfield, with four senior midfielders currently ruled out through injury or suspension.
Donny van de Beek will miss the rest of the season, and Christian Eriksen is expected to be sidelined until late April or early May.
Scott McTominay is also out of action, and Casemiro is set to serve a three-match ban after his red card against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
However, the former Real Madrid hero will be eligible to feature in the Europa League, so he is sure to receive a warm welcome at the Nou Camp in over a week.
Source: www.express.co.uk
