Frenkie de Jong looks on during the LaLiga match between RCD Mallorca and FC Barcelona at Estadio de Son Moix on January 02, 2022 in Mallorca, Spain. (Photo by Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
Barcelona’s Copa del Rey win at Linares came at a cost
Barcelona escaped its Copa del Rey Round of 32 match against Linares Deportivo with a win, but it was a costly victory. (Photo by Mateo Villalba/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
Barcelona down two more players following Copa del Rey match
Second half goals by Ousmane Dembélé and Ferran Jutglá were enough for Barcelona to overturn a one-goal deficit against Linares Deportivo and get through to the next round of the Copa del Rey.
However, the victory came at a cost.
Ronald Araujo and Frenkie de Jong both suffered injuries and are going to miss the match against Granada. The Uruguayan center back was taken off at halftime and was seen sporting a sling on his right arm.
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De Jong, who came on at halftime, was taken off in the 74th minute and replaced by Alvaro Sanz. He was seen in a bit of pain as he sat down near the bench, talking to the coaching staff.
The club released a statement confirming the injuries, stating Araujo has “fractured the second and third metacarpal bones in his right hand” and is set to undergo surgery.
While initial fears were he was going to miss a couple of months, the club expect him to only miss 10 days.
In the same statement, Barcelona stated the midfielder “strained the soleus muscle in his left calf.” No timetable was given for his return except that he is ruled out for the next match.
Injuries continue to pile on for Xavi Hernandez and he’s lost two pillars of his team for not only the next LaLiga fixture but most likely the Spanish Super Cup as well.
The Catalan side has managed to make do with what they have in the last two fixtures but the competition is only going to get more challenging and being without so many players in inevitably going to end up costing them against stronger competition.
The only bright side for the manager is they are set to get a number of players back assuming those who are out with Covid-19 test negative. There is some optimism but at the moment, it’s wait and see.
