Barcelona have received a major boost ahead of their El Clasico showdown with Real Madrid, with positive news on a key player’s fitness.
A huge moment for Barcelona in their UEFA Champions League semi-final match last night vs Inter Milan at the San Siro came in the 76th minute when an important defender limped off with a hamstring issue, before Ronald Araujo went on to replace the injured player.
The defender was extremely important moving forward, not just to Flick’s setup and philosophy, but for Barcelona to have to play Real Madrid without him would be a tougher scenario than the previously previewed scenario.
The defender who is the exception is none other than Inigo Martinez, and for Barcelona, they have good news.
Medical tests revealed this was not serious and, according to AS, Martinez was only suffering from a minor muscle overload.
The discomfort will see Martinez return to group training Friday, and he will be fit for Sunday’s El Clasico unless he gets injured while training – a huge plus for Flick, as Martinez’s experience, reading of the game and ability to play out of the back are pivotal to what has been a whole lot of stability within the Barcelona defense.
He will be an important part of facing a strong Real Madrid team properly.
That is no worry for Gerard Martin, who has looked great up until now; he will keep that left-back position.
Flick will likely run out the same four defensive players who he relied on during the match against Inter; Eric Garcia started at right-back, Pau Cubarsi and Martinez in central defense, and Martin at left-back.
With the injury to Martinez now just a worry, Barcelona can focus on ironing out their plans to get a key victory in this highly-anticipated match-up.
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