FC Barcelona are set to face Slavia Prague in the UEFA Champions League, an important game for Hansi Flick’s team. The Catalan club needs to win at all costs to keep their top-eight hopes alive, and will have to do so without Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres.
Lamine Yamal will serve a one-match suspension for accumulating yellow cards and is therefore unavailable. Meanwhile, the absence of Ferran Torres has been confirmed in Barcelona’s official medical report.
The Spaniard has suffered an injury to the semimembranosus muscle of his right leg, with an estimated recovery time of approximately ten days.
This means Ferran will miss the Champions League matches against Slavia Prague and Copenhagen, as well as the La Liga clash against Real Oviedo at Spotify Camp Nou.
If his recovery proceeds smoothly, he could return for Barcelona’s away game at Elche on January 31 and should be ready for the Copa del Rey quarterfinal against Albacete.
Barcelona’s leading goalscorer across all competitions this season, Ferran is likely to have a significant effect on team selection. He has been Flick’s go-to striker ahead of Polish veteran Robert Lewandowski.
Ferran is said to have picked up his injury in the Real Sociedad game before he was substituted. In his absence, the most logical and viable option for Hansi Flick would be to go with Lewandowski through the middle.
Alternatively, the German manager could use Marcus Rashford in that position, given he has played it to great effect for Manchester United. Flick could also start with Olmo as a false no. 9 and Fermin behind him.
One piece of positive news for Barcelona ahead of the trip is the return of Raphinha, who missed the game against Real Sociedad after a knock against Racing Santander. The Brazilian’s return would give the team a lot of confidence.
It is no coincidence that Barcelona’s winning run snapped when Raphinha missed a game. He is fundamental to the success of this system, and let us hope he is ready to start on the left against Slavia Prague.
