BARCELONA
Barcelona forward João Félix injured: what injury does he have and how long will he be out?
The Portuguese attacker won’t feature for Barça against Osasuna in LaLiga on Wednesday after breaking down in training on Tuesday.
Just when Barcelona coach - for now - Xavi Hernández didn’t need more problems to deal with, another one has cropped up. The Catalans announced on Tuesday that attacker João Félix had sprained a ligament in his right ankle, which will rule him out of Wednesday’s home game against Osasuna.
Barcelona keep Félix recovery time to themselves
As is standard with injured players, Barça opted not to disclose exactly how long the Portuguese would be out for, although the nature of the injury suggests he is also very unlikely to be available for the clash away to Alavés on Saturday.
Barcelona posted on X/Twitter: “In training on Tuesday morning the first team player João Félix sprained a ligament in his right ankle. He is unavailable for selection and his recovery will dictate his return.“
Since joining the LaLiga giants on loan from Atlético Madrid last summer, Félix has made 28 appearances (20 starts), in which he has scored seven goals and created a further five for his teammates. He has shown flashes of his ability in several games but has been unable to hit top form on a consistent basis.
Barça fitness update: ter Stegen and Gavi still out
As has been the case for much of the reason, Xavi will be without a number of first-team players when Osasuna visit Montjuïc. Midfielder Gavi and left-back Alejandro Balde are set to miss the rest of the season due to their injuries, while Raphinha and Marcos Alonso haven’t been set a date for their returns. First-choice goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen and centre-back Iñigo Martínez are closing in full fitness but aren’t expected to play until matches against Granada (11 February) and Alavés (3 February) respectively.
Barcelona’s most likely lineup for Wednesday’s game is: Iñaki Peña in goal, a back four of Jules Koundé, Ronald Araújo, Pau Cubarsí and João Cancelo, a midfield three of Frenkie De Jong, Ilkay Gündogan and Pedri, with Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres in attack.