Author name: admink

Barcelona will be eyeing their fourth successive triumph against their arch-rivals Real Madrid when the two sides take each other on in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal, just after the international break.

However, Barça’s chances of prevailing in this significant tie have been weakened by a sleuth of injuries to their star players. The likes of Pedri, Andreas Christensen, and potentially Ousmane Dembele, have been ruled out of this tie.

In a new update provided by Javi Miguel, it appears one more player in the form of Frenkie de Jong still remains a major doubt for this tie. Although the Dutchman has not yet been ruled out of the contest, there is uncertainty about whether or not he will be able to feature.

De Jong had picked up an injury just before the international break and had to withdraw from the Netherlands squad. It was reported that the midfielder would be out for a period of up to two weeks.

Last week, the club confirmed the nature of his injury, stating that he had hurt his right hamstring, although no specific timeline was provided for his return.

Javi Miguel now claims that de Jong still remains a “big doubt” ahead of the second-leg tie in the Copa del Rey semifinals.

De Jong’s potential absence would be a huge blow for Barcelona, with Xavi Hernandez increasingly running the risk of having his primary midfield options out injured.

Despite this, Barcelona team doctors are unlikely to take any risks as many have fallen victim to a relapse lately, including Pedri, whose return has been recently delayed.

As for De Jong, a more definitive update on the player’s situation could be available this week, once he undergoes tests to determine how his recovery is progressing.

After receiving some bad news in the form of Andreas Christensen’s injury while on national team duty, Barcelona fans have some good news to greet as Javi Miguel of AS is reporting that Ronald Araujo will recover from his issue in time for the game against Elche.

Araujo sustained an injury in his left adductor during the 2-1 El Clasico win over Real Madrid last weekend. It led to the 24-year-old withdrawing from the Uruguayan national team squad for their friendly encounters against Japan and South Korea.

It was initially expected that Araujo could miss the game against Elche on April 1 but be ready in time for the Copa del Rey semi-final second leg against Real Madrid on the 5th.

But as per the latest update, the defender’s recovery is going very positively and he could receive his medical all-clear next Friday, which would then render him available for the La Liga encounter against Elche.

This development comes as a major boost for Barcelona as they lost Christensen to an injury last night. The 26-year-old Dane is expected to be out for around three to four weeks and will miss a number of matches next month, starting with the one against Elche.

But with Araujo set to be available, Xavi will have one of his defensive pillars on the pitch against the bottom-feeders of La Liga.

The report suggests that Barcelona could line up with a defensive unit of Sergi Roberto, Araujo, Eric Garcia and Jordi Alba against Elche, considering that Christensen is injured and both Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde will have just returned from international duty.

Marcos Alonso is also an option for Xavi to line up at centre-back or left-back against Elche.

Franck Kessie was the first senior team signing Barcelona made as part of their 2020 summer overhaul. The Ivorian signed on a free transfer, moving from AC Milan after a successful stint in Serie A.

The 25-year-old was one of the best players in Italy during his tenure, and had a fair bit of pressure on his back when joining Barcelona, even on a Bosman move.

Kessie took time to adapt to Barcelona, though, and has had to settle for a backup role, with the likes of Pedri, Gavi, Frenkie de Jong, and Sergio Busquets taking priority in midfield.

However, he has slowly but surely carved out a place for Xavi. And now that he is finally settling in, the chances of him leaving in the summer seem slim to none.

In fact, his agent has gone on to claim that Kessie will definitely be at the club come the summer transfer window.

“We denied a possible transfer for Kessie, same for player and the club — but fake news is annoying,” his agency said, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano.

“The possibility that Kessie may leave Barcelona in the next transfer window is the same as hoping that a snake suddenly develops legs next summer,” they added hilariously.

While he has started just four games out of a total 18 appearances in the league, Kessie has certainly found a place in the hearts of the Barcelona faithful after his 92nd-minute winning goal against Real Madrid at the Camp Nou.

He was also responsible for the only goal of the game against Los Blancos in the Copa del Rey semi-finals, even though it was later given as Eder Militao’s own goal.

With Pedri seemingly injured for another three to four weeks, Kessie will continue to get chances in Barcelona’s current setup. However, with rumours of Ilkay Gundogan bubbling up, it will be interesting to see what lies in Kessie’s future.

Barcelona midfielder Gavi has been in the news recently following last weekend’s El Clasico against Real Madrid.

The 18-year-old, who has become a regular in the side under Xavi , was involved in a bit of an incident involving Dani Ceballos, wherein the youngster went in and barged into the Real Madrid midfielder, off the ball, after the latter had trampled on Robert Lewandowski’s foot.

The incident went unnoticed by the referee, but Real Madrid were quick to point it out and claim that the behaviour from Gavi was ‘unsportsmanlike’.

Furthermore, it was also reported that some Real Madrid players sent messages to their Barcelona counterparts to have a word with the youngster about his behaviour.

Gavi has become known for his aggressive and fearless nature on the pitch and it showed during the Clasico.

While Real Madrid might not have been pleased with it, Real Sociedad and Spain midfielder Mikel Merino has claimed that Gavi is a player that he would like to have on his team because of what he brings to the table.

“Players like Gavi are the ones I like to have on my team,” Merino said in an interview on Onda Cero.

Merino and Gavi will play together over the next couple of weeks with the Spanish national team. La Roja will face Norway and Scotland in the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers.

Gavi was one of the three Barcelona players to be called up to the Spain squad along with Pedri and Alejandro Balde. However, the former has had to withdraw from the squad due to an injury that will keep him out for another three to four weeks.

Lionel Messi’s departure from Barcelona was always imagined to be a gala event with honours, tributes and a full Spotify Camp Nou showing their gratitude to the best player in the world. What unfolded in 2021 was anti-climactic, with an overnight announcer and a rushed press conference ending the Argentine’s chapter in Catalonia.

After two seasons at PSG, the player is said to be considering what would be a dream return to the Blaugrana and a fitting end to his elite career. However, the equation is not as simple as it appears.

According to reports from Sique Rodriguez on Cadena SER, two factors complicate Messi’s return to Barcelona.

For starters, his relationship with Joan Laporta is not great after the club president fell short of his promise to renew the forward’s contract. Moreover, Barcelona’s economic situation is still far from the stability required to accommodate such a big star.

Xavi Hernandez and players like Sergi Roberto have been vocal about wishing for the PSG star to come home. However, a second stint at Barcelona is a distant possibility as it stands.

The World Cup winner has no shortage of options on his table heading into next season. Messi can extend with PSG for another season through the clause on his contract but he is sceptical of the commitment unless he is sure of their project. Moreover, his ugly reception at Parc des Princes after PSG’s UCL elimination complicates matters.

A stint away from Europe is another option. The Argentine has offers from Inter Miami in the MLS as well as clubs in Saudi Arabia. His move away from elite football is close, but the player wishes to play one more season at the highest level.

Needless to say, Barcelona are one of the prime contenders for his signing given his wish to stay in Europe and his situation in Paris. It remains to be seen if the club manage to find a way to adjust their finances, for it could be their last chance to reunite with their talisman.

Barcelona hosted Real Madrid in El Clasico for the first time in over a year at Spotify Camp Nou. The equation ahead of kickoff was simple- a win or draw would be favourable results for the Catalans while nothing less than a win would suffice for Real Madrid’s title hopes.

Xavi deployed Ronald Araujo at right-back with Jules Kounde and Andreas Christensen defending Ter Stegen’s goal centrally. Alejandro Balde took dutied at left-back.

Sergi Roberto, Sergio Busquets and Frenkie de Jong started in midfield while Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Gavi were deployed in the final third.

The game began packed with action as the visitors latched onto an attack immediately. A quick push down Barcelona’s left flank enabled a ball through to Karim Benzema but the French striker could not slot it past the Catalans’ wall in goal.

The chance in the first minute was Real Madrid’s only big chance of the opening minutes as Xavi’s men took over. Over the next ten minutes, Barcelona asserted their dominance as they pushed forward in numbers.

With patient build-up play, Robert Lewandowski was played a good pass in the final third. The Pole dummied Camavinga and took a shot only to be denied by Courtois. Minutes later, the Belgian was forced into action again with Raphinha taking a strong swing of the foot.

The visitors’ opening goal in the ninth minute, in the ninth minute, came completely against the run of play. Vinicius Jr received the ball and was forced to move close to the byline by Bafcelona’s captain from where he attempted a pass into the box.

Ronald Araujo’s unfortunate touch at such a moment put the ball out of Ter Stegen’s reach and nothing could prevent the own goal

Despite going a goal down, the Catalans showed no sign of a mental block. The setback fuelled a period of Barcelona dominance on the field and it was Xavi’s side that dominated the rest of the half by a significant margin.

Andreas Christensen failed to tuck away a phenomenal Raphinha cross six minutes before the half-hour mark before coming painfully close to scoring again with a neat back-flick eight minutes later.

In the 34th minute. Barcelona’s Brazilian winger once again cut into the box and took a vicious shot but Courtois deflected it with his fingertips.

Barcelona’s resilient and persistent attacks began generating more threats in the final minutes of the half. Raphinha, Barcelona’s best player in the first half, began attacking more fearlessly and the verticality of the play improved significantly.

In the end, the Blaugranas were rewarded in the final minute of the half with a well-deserved equaliser.

After recycling an initially missed opportunity, Raphinha took a strong shot goalwards but was denied by Camavinga. Sergi Roberto pounced on the rebound and slotted home the equaliser.

Heading into half-time, nothing separated the two title contenders on the scoreboard. Yet, Xavi was undeniably the happier of the two managers.

The Catalans started the second half on the front foot and even created the first big chance when Raphinha failed to connect with what would be a sure-shot goal.

In the 58th minute, Robert Lewandowski’s attempt went painfully wide of the goal. Barcelona were on top and there was seemingly nothing the visitors could do about it.

Eight minutes later, the Pole attempted an audacious acrobatic finish that somehow ended up outside the goal.

Raphinha orchestrated a wonderful chance with Lewy and Balde in the 75th minute but just could not find the finish. Franck Kessie came on for Roberto in the 76th minute.

Real Madrid took the lead again in the 81st minute through a quick counterattack finished by Asensio. However, the goal was ruled out for offside.

Ferran Torres came on for Raphinha in the 83rd minute. Ansu Fati replaced Gavi in the 90th minute.

The Catalans emphatically took the lead in extra time through Franck Kessie. Robert Lewandowski’s back heel undid Real Madrid’s defence to find Alejandro Balde in space. The youngster’s cross fell perfectly for Kessie who calmly slotted the ball into the goal with no sense of nerves.

With the three points against Real Madrid and an unbelievable comeback, Barcelona take a massive twelve-point lead over their arch-rivals and sit pretty on top of the standings. The league is far from won, but the Catalans are at the doorstep.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen has emerged as one of the best-performing goalkeepers in Europe this season.

Under the leadership of Xavi Hernandez, the German international has been able to regain his confidence. It has been evident in his performances this term, with the goalkeeper playing a key role in helping Barcelona retain the best defensive record in La Liga so far.

Speaking ahead of the upcoming El Clasico, ter Stegen’s great counterpart at Real Madrid, Thibaut Courtois, has heaped praise on the German, suggesting that he had always been a ‘great goalkeeper’.

“I don’t think he has improved at all, because Ter Stegen has always been a great goalkeeper. Sometimes there are bumps in your career and you have the bad luck that maybe they mark you an unfortunate goal sometimes,” Courtois told Movistar Plus.

With a save-percentage rate of 89%, ter Stegen outperforms all the other ‘keepers not only in La Liga, but also in Europe this season. In contrast, Courtois, who has been very consistent at Real Madrid, has racked up a save percentage of 81% this season.

Ter Stegen has also recorded 19 clean sheets in 25 league matches, which is an astounding tally for any top goalkeeper. However, credit should also be given to the Barcelona backline for playing a vital role in offering optimal service to the German.

“What happens is that now things are going well for him and a goalkeeper with confidence grows even more,” Courtois added, setting the stage for El Clasico.

One would expect both of these goalkeepers to play a central role when Barcelona take on Real Madrid at Camp Nou this evening, with every save and every clearance likely to be crucial.

Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo has accepted that he found Alejandro Garnacho’s social media post after the UEFA Europa League tie rather distasteful, but admitted that everyone reacts in a certain way and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.

Barcelona were eliminated from the Europa League at hands of Manchester United following their 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford in the second leg. Garnacho, who came on as a substitute in both legs, took to social media to rub salt in Barcelona’s wounds.

The young Argentine posted a photograph of himself making a binocular with his hands with a Barcelona shirt on his shoulder, captioning, “The big team goes to the next round.“

His ‘celebration pose’ is the one Pedri is used to doing to celebrate goals as a dedication to his father. The mockery of the fan-favourite midfielder understandably did not go down wkl with the Camp Nou faithful.

In an interview with Infobae, Araujo admitted that he, personally, did not like Garnacho’s behaviour and if there is anything that one needs to show, it must be done on the field.

“Yes [it did bother me],” said the 24-year-old

“Everyone is as they are, but at that time it was not possible to put something like that. I respect everyone and I feel that humility is ahead of everything.

“Everyone expresses themselves as they want, but I prefer to have a lower profile and then show what I do on the pitch. This is football, he is very long and there is still a long way to go. You have to go calmly and humbly,” he added.

When asked if he would remind the 18-year-old Argentine of his behaviour the next time they cross paths, Araujo simply chuckled and replied, “No, they are football things that I think of in a different way.”

Judging by the look of things, it is safe to assume that Araujo is not someone who hold grudges for a long time. The Uruguayan looks like a person who just wants to let the bygones be bygones by leaving everything that happens on the field right there.

Soon to be a free agent, Lionel Messi is now at the heart of a ton of transfer speculation. The Argentine is reportedly not leaning towards extending his contract at the club, which has opened up rumours regarding his return to Barcelona.

In fact, recent reports have stated that Joan Laporta recently called and apologised to Leo to calm down the bad blood between them. The duo’s relationship ended poorly after Messi left the club on a free transfer in 2021.

Meanwhile, multiple rumours have surfaced regarding Messi’s current situation in Paris.

One of them stated that the player left Tuesday’s training session early due to problems with the coach Christopher Galtier.

Another said that PSG is not ready to accept Messi’s conditions to sign a new PSG deal, which were said to be on similar terms as Kylian Mbappe’s record-breaking contract that was signed in the summer of 2022.

Finally, the last one claimed that Leo had reportedly demanded €600 million in yearly salary to join Al-Hilal, who are interested in the player’s signature in June.

His father and agent, Jorge Messi, however, has taken to Instagram to deny all of these news, saying, “When are you going to stop lying? Wheres the proof? Ohhh, it’s because everything is false…OK!”

“As many sirens they put, don’t believe anything. WE’RE NOT GOING TO TOLERATE FAKE NEWS TO GAIN FOLLOWERS ANYMORE.”

Nobody from Messi’s entourage or PSG have said anything regarding the player’s renewal. Galtier, too, refused to comment on the situation when asked about it yesterday.

“It’s still too early to speak about Messi’s contract extension. I know that Leo, the management and the president discuss a lot. On Leo to be here next season, I repeat: it’s the will of each other. Messi is happy here.”

One can expect this situation to prolong for the next few months while Barcelona try to sort out their financial situation just enough to send an offer to the player.

Up until last year, Ousmane Dembele’s career at FC Barcelona had been largely characterised by the number of injuries he suffered and the time he spent off the pitch and on the treatment tables, to the point where it had become a running joke among opposition fans.

However, things took a positive turn for the Frenchman since the change in regime in November 2021, with Xavi Hernandez taking over as manager and bringing in his own set of medical staff and other personnel who helped Dembele stay fit and fine.

Indeed, the Frenchman had not suffered a single injury in over a year since Xavi’s arrival, until he sustained a hamstring problem in the game against Girona in late January.

Early prognosis suggested that the French international will likely be out for five to six weeks and be ready in time for this week’s El Clasico at Spotify Camp Nou. But that is not how things turned out as the recovery did not go at the anticipated pace and he has been ruled out the Real Madrid clash.

Furthermore, reports on Thursday claimed that Dembele had even suffered a minor injury relapse during his recovery and was now likely to miss the Copa del Rey semi-final vs Madrid on April 5.

But, Fernando Polo of Mundo Deportivo is claiming that the Barcelona winger has not suffered any sort of relapse at this point. However, he adds that the injury is not healing at the expected speed, which has now delayed his return to action.

The report states that the Barcelona staff, which includes manager Xavi and club doctor Dr. Ricard Pruna, are aware of the situation and do not wish to take any risk with the 25-year-old ahead of a key phase of the season.

It is further claimed that it could take two to three weeks for the injury to heal well so that there is no risk of a relapse when Dembele does return to the field.

With Raphinha performing well in recent games, Barcelona do not see the need to risk rushing back Dembele for the Clasico, and the hope is that he could be ready for the second leg of the cup semi-final on April 5. Even then, if he is not 100% fit, the Blaugrana will not take any manner of risk with him.