Barcelona will be without just one injured player against Real Sociedad – report

Journalist Toni Juanmarti has reported via SPORT that Barcelona manager Xavi will be able to count on all of his players for the upcoming away La Liga game against Real Sociedad. The only player missing the fixture would be club captain Sergi Roberto.

The home defeat against Real Madrid was indeed a tough pill to swallow, but that exposed the overreliance on some players. 

The Blaugrana entered the Clasico without players such as Roberto, Jules Kounde (did not play), Frenkie de Jong, and Pedri.

Meanwhile, Raphinha and Lewandowski, despite their presence, did not have a competitive rhythm. This recent surge in injuries has forced Xavi to turn to players from the reserve team. 

Beyond the excitement brought by Marc Guiu’s remarkable goal against Athletic Club, the need to summon Hector Fort, Pau Cubarsi, Marc Casado, Aleix Garrido, Marc Guiu, and others underscored the less-than-ideal circumstances at hand.

Things will change against Real Sociedad

Fortunately for Xavi, as they commence their preparations for the upcoming clash against Real Sociedad, the manager will have the complete squad at his disposal, except Roberto.

However, there is a bit of uncertainty surrounding de Jong’s availability, as he still requires about a week for a full recovery.

During the coming week, Kounde, Pedri, and de Jong (pending confirmation) along with Raphinha and Lewandowski will focus on building their form and intensity. All of these players will be part of the squad facing Sociedad. 

This will significantly increase the internal competition within the team, and Xavi will have the flexibility to save some of his top performers for the latter part of the matches, potentially unleashing two, three, or even four stars during the second half.

The aim is clear but others have suffered in between

Amidst all the tension regarding injuries, players such as Joao Cancelo, Ilkay Gudogan and Ferran Torres have played without any break so much so that in just seven days, they collectively logged an exhausting four hours of gameplay. 

But with the situation improving, between now and Christmas, Barcelona are aiming to secure a place in the UEFA Champions League round of 16, while also striving to narrow the point gap with Real Madrid in La Liga.

Right now, Barcelona are not obsessing about becoming the year-end leader, but the focus is on closing in a bit on their rivals as the competition heads into its critical phase.