Barcelona will fight for their spot in the Champions League last 16 with a makeshift midfield.
Barcelona host FC Copenhagen on Wednesday night, potentially requiring a lofty win to secure direct qualification to the Champions League round of 16. Hansi Flick’s men have a perfect record ever since they made their long awaited return to their spiritual home at the Camp Nou.
Against Copenhagen, who are fighting for their European lives, they can’t afford to stumble or they risk compromising their quest for a sixthhave a golden opportunity to finish the league phase among the top eight, but they’ll have to it with notable absences, especially in midfield.and will be sidelined for a month. The midfield maestro joined Gavi and Andreas Christensen in the treatment room and all three are ruled out for Wednesday’s clash. To make matters worse, Frenkie de Jong, Pedri’s partner in crime at the base of midfield, will also miss the contest after a late booking in Prague saw him earn a one-match suspension for yellow card accumulation. Flick will be forced to deploy a makeshift midfield, with Eric Garcia likely playing as the anchor and, in need for goals, Dani Olmo could be drafted in alongside him with freedom to roam forwards. Barcelona will at least be boosted by the return of Ferran Torres, who trained with the rest of the team ahead of the clash after missing the last two games.—García will be tasked with ending Barcelona’s negative run of 10-straight Champions League games without a clean sheet, the worst such streak in club history.—The Frenchman left plenty to be desired in recent games, but he’ll return to his usual spot at right back hoping for a confidence-boosting performance.—The honeymoon phase as Barça’s starting center back appears to be over after a couple of unconvincing showings. Still, he’ll keep his place in the XI with Eric needed elsewhere.—The sudden stall in Balde’s development this term has gone relatively under the radar but it’s unquestionably a worrying sign. His attacking qualities have been somewhat exposed and he needs to find a way to take his all-around game to the next level.—The epitome of versatility and consistency. Eric will continue to be the only Barça player to feature in every single game this term.—Immersed in a significant purple patch, Olmo will operate deeper in midfield like he did against Celta Vigo back in November.—Yamal missed last week’s clash vs, Slavia Prague through suspension, but reappeared at the weekend scoring one of the—Fresh off signing a new contract extension, the energetic attacking midfielder will be hoping to carry on with his sensational start of the year.—Raphinha has been kept somewhat quiet—despite a classy goal at the weekend—off late, but he usually saves his best for when Barcelona need him most.—Although Torres is back from injury, Flick is expected to be cautious with him, meaning Lewandowski gets the nod again looking for his 107th Champions League goal.Roberto Casillas is a Sports Illustrated FC freelance writer covering Liga MX, the Mexican National Team & Latin American players in Europe. He is a die hard Cruz Azul and Chelsea fan.
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