Barcelona key midfielder likely to miss Real Sociedad game, could return vs Shakhtar Donetsk

Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo has reported that Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong’s participation during the upcoming away game against Real Sociedad is very complicated.

The Dutchman is largely expected to miss the La Liga tie, although there are possibilities that he might return during the UEFA Champions League fixture against Shakhtar Donetsk next week.

Furthermore, there are also reports that another reason why his return is being delayed is because he is about to become a father and he wants to be there with his partner when his child is born.

Has not played for almost two months

It must be noted that de Jong has not played since picking an injury against Celta Vigo in a 3-2 win in September where he could only play 36 minutes.

At this moment, he remains on the periphery of the first team training. 

The Netherlands international was notably absent from the training session held at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper recently, as a result of which, his inclusion in the squad for the upcoming league fixture against Real Sociedad seems highly doubtful.

It appears that he is still grappling with discomfort stemming from his injury in his right ankle. As a result, his eagerly anticipated return may be postponed until the Champions League encounter with Shakhtar Donetsk scheduled for next Tuesday.

Has de Jong been missed?

The absence of De Jong has a noticeable impact on Barcelona’s fluidity in their gameplay, and this is evident in the statistics.

When the Dutchman was on the pitch, he featured in the first six league games, resulting in five wins and one draw.

However, in his absence from La Liga matches, Barcelona faced one loss, two draws, and two victories. These two victories were secured by narrow 1-0 margins, with Sergio Ramos unintentionally scoring an own goal against Sevilla and Marc Guiu delivering the crucial goal against Athletic Club.

In the Champions League, De Jong played a significant role in the commanding 5-0 victory over Royal Antwerp. In contrast, without him, Barcelona managed to secure wins against FC Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk, but both matches were resolved with minimal winning margins.