Barcelona
Barcelona dealt hammer blow in bid to catch Real Madrid in LaLiga
Barça are on a high after thrashing Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup, but their victory in Saudi Arabia has come at a cost.
Barcelona have revealed that center-back Iñigo Martínez has suffered a right hamstring tear during the 5-2 Spanish Super Cup thrashing of Real Madrid in Saudi Arabia, which will sideline him for a month.
Which Barcelona games will Iñigo Martínez miss?
As a result, Martínez will miss Wednesday’s Copa del Rey game against Real Betis (and potentially the quarterfinals in the week of February 5), as well as LaLiga games against Getafe, Valencia, Alavés, and Sevilla, and Champions League fixtures against Benfica and Atalanta.
Martínez’s absence is a significant blow for Barça, as he has had an outstanding first half of the season. The 33-year-old has been a key figure in the center of defense, showcasing the exact type of leadership and character that has been lacking in the team in recent years.
However, home defeats to Las Palmas, Leganés and Atlético Madrid have seen Barça slip off the top of the LaLiga table, now six points behind Diego Simeone’s side and five adrift of Real Madrid. Making up the gap will be all the more difficult without Martínez stabilizing presence at the back.
Will Ronald Araújo leave Barcelona in January?
Additionally, Martínez’s injury directly affects Ronald Araújo.
In a press conference, Barcelona president Joan Laporta was non-committal about Araújo’s future, leaving the decision to Deco, the club’s sporting director. Many expect Araújo to leave this week, although Barcelona’s stance might now change, potentially keeping him until the end of the season.
According to several sources, Araújo wants to move on, which appeared to be confirmed by television images of Robert Lewandowski seemingly pleading with the Uruguayan to stay following Sunday’s memorable Clásico triumph.
Original article written by Juan Jiménez, translated with the assistance of AI and edited by Roddy Cons.
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