Barcelona defender survives injury scare – will be available for Atletico Madrid showdown

Barcelona defender survives injury scare – will be available for Atletico Madrid showdown

Barcelona must come from two goals behind if they are to progress to the Champions League semi-finals at Atletico Madrid’s expense. It will be a mountain for Hansi Flick’s side to climb, although their chances of doing so have been boosted by the recent return of Frenkie de Jong from injury.

The Dutchman is expected to start in the centre of midfield, where he would replace Eric Garcia – who will drop back into defence as cover for the suspended Pau Cubarsi. There has been some doubts surrounding the second of that pair, given that Gerard Martin was forced off at half time of the weekend victory over Espanyol at the Spotify Camp Nou.

Martin went down off the ball, which has led to concerns about his availability against Atleti, but according to Sport, he will be fit to start at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano. He did not train with his teammates on Sunday, but the plan is for him to do so during Monday’s session.

Martin has been a consistent performer for Barcelona since being moved into the centre of defence. He would be a big miss if he were to miss out against Atleti, but fortunately for Flick, he could set to be able to count on one of his first-choice central defenders for the trip to the Spanish capital.

Barcelona unsure about Bernal availability

On the other hand, there are more doubts about whether Marc Bernal will be able to face Atleti. Barcelona had hoped to have him available for the second leg following an ankle injury he sustained against the same opponent earlier this month, but he is yet to return to training with his teammates – and it is unclear whether he will do so before Wednesday’s match comes around.

It would be a blow for Bernal to miss out, but it is offset by the fact that de Jong is ready to start alongside Pedri.