Barcelona could be missing seven players for Las Palmas clash

When Barcelona plays Las Palmas in La Liga on Saturday at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, their temporary home, they could be without seven first-team players.

The Catalan giants have been without Gavi and Alejandro Balde for an extended period of time. They had catastrophic knee and hamstring injuries, respectively, that necessitated surgery.

This weekend will mark Frenkie de Jong and Pedri’s second absence; nevertheless, they are both recovering well from their injuries and should be back on the pitch in April.

The hamstring injury suffered by Pedri and the ankle injury sustained by De Jong during the match against Athletic Bilbao at the beginning of March had raised a great deal of concern.

On April 10, both players are scheduled to play in the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain. Xavi’s team will travel to France for the first leg of their quarterfinal match.

For the match against Las Palmas, Barcelona may also be without Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen.

Because of an Achilles injury, Christensen was unable to play for Denmark in their March friendlies and missed Barcelona’s 3-0 victory over Atletico Madrid before to the international break.

The 27-year-old, who has been playing in centre midfield lately, is a serious doubt for the team’s upcoming league game because he did not practise on Wednesday.

Araujo, the centre defender, was reportedly absent from Wednesday’s main training session due to a minor muscular issue.

The 25-year-old was unexpectedly freed from his Uruguayan duty, and Barcelona will be wary of his injury in advance of their trip to PSG.

With a hamstring injury that has kept the Spain international off the pitch since the end of January, Ferran Torres is still a serious question for Xavi’s team. He has not been cleared to play this weekend.

Which players could benefit from the expected absences?

Both Mamadou Mbacke and Mikayil Faye were called up to train with the first squad on Wednesday, according to Mundo Deportivo. The latter may play this weekend, while the former is suspended after receiving yellow cards for the reserve team.

Mbacke, 21, has made 19 appearances for Barcelona B in the 2023–24 season while on loan from Los Angeles FC to the Catalan side.

During the international break, Faye, a 19-year-old who is being linked to Manchester United, scored an impressive goal on his Senegalese debut. This season, Faye has made 24 appearances for Barcelona B.

If Araujo is truly absent, Inigo Martinez would probably start in the middle of defence with Pau Cubarsi, and Fermin Lopez and Sergi Roberto might start in central midfield with Ilkay Gundogan due to Christensen’s absence.

To free up a space in midfield for Oriol Romeu, Xavi can also choose to shift Jules Kounde from right-back into the middle alongside Cubarsi. Roberto might then switch back to full-back.