Barcelona’s first-choice left-back Alejandro Balde might reportedly be sidelined for so long as three weeks after struggling an harm which supervisor Hansi Flick warned was “not so good”.
Balde was compelled off within the first half of Barcelona’s slender 1-0 victory away to Leganes on Saturday evening. The jet-heeled full-back sunk to the turf shortly earlier than the interval after making a clearance on the sting of his personal field.
Academy graduate Gerard Martin provided a pure alternative for Balde at Butarque as Barcelona squeezed all three factors out of a tough journey to the capital because of Jorge Saenz’s personal aim. Nevertheless, there are actual issues that the Catalans could also be with out their flying full-back for a number of key fixtures.
Flick was at pains to order judgement over the severity of Balde’s harm. “I can solely say that we now have to attend and see,” the German boss instructed assembled reporters after the sport. But, Flick had already let slip that “Balde will not be so good”. Preliminary experiences from Mundo Deportivo declare that the left-back may very well be sidelined for 2 to a few weeks with a hamstring problem.
Virtually any harm will drive Balde to overlook the second leg of Barcelona’s Champions League quarter-final in opposition to Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday, however there are many essential fixtures on the horizon.
Flick’s La Liga leaders host Celta Vigo and Mallorca within the league earlier than going up in opposition to Actual Madrid in an all-important Copa del Rey remaining on Saturday, 26 April – precisely two weeks after Balde suffered his harm.
If the 21-year-old is compelled to get better for 3 weeks, he would additionally sit out the primary leg of a potential Champions League semi-final, which will probably be held on both 29 or 30 April.
Balde wasn’t Barcelona’s solely harm concern this weekend. Centre-back Ronald Araujo was additionally eliminated at half-time, though Flick was fast to downplay any issues in regards to the Uruguayan. “Araujo has had minor issues,” he famous, “however nothing extra.”
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