Barcelona have been hit with a spate of injuries heading into their penultimate UEFA Champions League Group B tie against PSV Eindhoven.
Barcelona will face off against Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven at the Philips Stadion on Wednesday night, as they look to strengthen their hold at the top of the Group B standings.
The Catalans have booked a place in the knockout stages of the competition, but need all three points in Netherlands to confirm their status as group winners. Having not won three matches in a row across all competitions, manager Ernesto Valverde will be under pressure to get a positive result on Wednesday.
However, his cause hasn’t been helped by a series of injuries heading into the midweek encounter. Goalkeeper Jasper Cillesen has been sidelined for two to three weeks with a muscle tear. That should not have a major bearing on the game though, with Marc-Andre ter Stegen being the undisputed first-choice between the sticks for Barcelona.
Utility man Sergi Roberto is also set for a spell on the sidelines due to an injury he picked up against Atletico Madrid this past weekend, meaning Nelson Semedo will feature at right-back once again. On the opposite flank, Jordi Alba is a certain starter.
Thomas Vermaelen remains injured, but Samuel Umtiti did make a comeback for the Blaugrana at the weekend. However, the Frenchman is likely to be rested on Wednesday, with Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet set to partner up at the heart of the Barcelona defence.
Summer signing Arthur Melo has been omitted from the squad by the manager owing to an adductor strain. Rafinha Alcantara is also set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines, after picking up an ACL injury this past weekend that needs surgery.
However, Barcelona have been boosted by the return of Croatian international Ivan Rakitic, who wasn’t involved at the weekend.
Speaking of the midfield options in his pre-match press conference, Valverde said, “Players such as Arthur, who have gone from playing one competition to playing three, and changing the pace to go with the national team.”
“It’s not that we don’t want the players to go away with the national team, but it is something that we have to pay a price for and, in this case, several players’ injuries have coincided at the same time. We will see how Ivan [Rakitic] trains, but we are optimistic.”
With Arthur unavailable, a direct swap for Rakitic is on the cards for the Catalans, with Sergio Busquets and Arturo Vidal set to take up the other two midfield slots.
Philippe Coutinho, who missed the weekend draw against Atletico, is back in contention for selection and should get the nod on the left flank for Barcelona. “In the previous match we were cautious with [Philippe] Coutinho, but we think that he can play this time,” the manager claimed in his pre-match presser.
Star striker Luis Suarez is out for two weeks with a knee injury, which would mean club captain Lionel Messi is likely to move into a central role in attack for Barca’s trip to Netherlands. Ousmane Dembele, who scored the late equaliser against Atletico at the weekend, should feature from the get-go on the right wing.
