Barclona face fresh injury concern as defender joins Raphinha and Ferran Torres on list of doubts ahead of Champions League clash and El Clasico.
Barcelona is dealing with a mounting injury crisis with key defender Andreas Christensen joining forwards Raphinha and Ferran Torres on the sidelines ahead of Tuesday’s crucial Champions League tie against Olympiacos.
The growing absentee list, which already includes Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo, heaps pressure on Coach Hansi Flick as the Blaugrana prepare for the season’s first El Clasico against Real Madrid on Sunday.
Barcelona completed their final training session this morning ahead of hosting Olympiacos in the Champions League on Tuesday, but the session brought fresh defensive issues for the Catalan giants.
According to Sport, Denmark international Christensen missed training and returned home due to general discomfort, building concerns around his fitness and uncertainty surrounding his availability in time against the Greece side.
This defensive worry compounds a severe crisis in the attacking third, as forwards Torres and Raphinha did not participate in Flick’s morning session and are expected to be dropped from the squad.
The club are prioritising caution to maximise their chances of being available for Sunday’s crucial El Clasico against Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The list of unavailable players now poses a major challenge for Flick’s tactical plans.
Torres’s return from the Spain camp due to a strained left hamstring was initially optimistic, but his continued discomfort ruled him out of the recent Girona match, despite his excellent form this season, where he’s been directly involved in six goals across 10 La Liga games.
Raphinha, who suffered an injury to the middle third of his right hamstring, faces a longer layoff, now heading for a month out after an initial three-week estimate.
These setbacks follow injuries to Lewandowski and Olmo, whose calf injury is expected to sideline him for three to four weeks, almost certainly ruling him out of El Clasico.
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The coaching staff has voiced deep frustration with the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) over the handling of players like Olmo, who reportedly continued to train despite initial discomfort.
However, Flick in his pre-match press conference ahead of their match against Olympiacos, said: “We hope Ferran Torres be in the Clásico, and so will Raphinha. We’re expecting him.
“When he came back from the national team, we did an MRI and saw a different situation. We have to minimize the risks, and him playing tomorrow would be a risk.
“We’ll do another MRI on Thursday and we’ll see. We have to take care of the players. The situation is difficult. When everyone is back, the situation will be different.”
Lewandowski’s injury came across as a surprise disappointment for the Catalan side after they showed discontentment towards him for continuing playing for Poland in the World Cup qualifiers despite feeling uneasiness in the first half of the match against Lithuania.
Barcelona officials are furious as they argue given the fixture schedule, the Pole could have acted more in line with the priorities at the club level.
Given the depleted attack, Flick is forced into a major tactical reshuffle. All signs point to loanee Marcus Rashford being positioned at the top of the attack, flanked by Lamine Yamal on the right wing and Fermin Lopez on the left.
Yamal’s return from a persistent groin injury is a much-needed lift; the 18-year-old winger even provided an assist for Pedri’s opening goal in his return to the starting lineup against Girona.
To ensure sufficient depth, Flick again called up seven Barca youth academy players, including Diego Kochen, Eder Aller, Toni Fernandez, and Juan Hernandez, all of whom are now on standby for their Champions League debuts against Olympiacos.
