The upcoming match against Sevilla is going to be a special one for Barcelona as up to three midfielders can return from their injuries in this game, thus providing Hansi Flick with a significant relief with regards to options in the middle of the pitch.
Dani Olmo, Fermin Lopez, and Gavi are all expected to return to the squad list and even the pitch in the game tonight.
Previously, Frenkie de Jong had also returned from his ankle injury, and had got some minutes in the matches against Alaves and Young Boys. It was expected that he will take advantage of the last international break, in which he was not called up by The Netherlands, to get back to full fitness ahead of a crucial week for Barcelona.
However, Diario AS reports that the Dutchman is once again a doubt for the Sevilla game as he suffered a discomfort while training with the team on Friday. Flick himself confirmed in the last presser that Frenkie was suffering from a discomfort.
Previously, Flick was expected to at last play Frenkie right from the very start of the game against Sevilla. However, this latest setback can not only jeopardize his starting spot, but has also put his presence in the squad for this game in doubt.
It remains important to note that this latest discomfort is not related to the ankle injury that kept the midfielder in the drydock for around five months.
While it does not seem too serious, this latest discomfort will further elongate the wait that Hansi Flick has had to face to utilize such an important asset of the team.
His ability to break the opposition’s pressing lines with his dribbling, his verticality, and his ability to get into the opposition areas could have significantly helped the German coach in the upcoming difficult games against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, but this latest setback creates further confusion about his physical situation.
