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Barcelona injury update ahead of LaLiga game against Rayo Vallecano
The Catalan side are heading into a tough run of fixtures with many of their first team players out or returning from injury.
Barcelona are set to travel to Madrid to play Rayo Vallecano in LaLiga EA Sports. The game will be played on Saturday 25 November 2023, and will kick-off at 8 a.m. ET / 5 a.m. PT.
Ahead of the tie, a crucial fixture at a key time in the season for the current title holders, Xavi has plenty of question marks surrounding which players are fit and available for the game that will see Barça go on a run of incredibly tough fixtures over the coming weeks.
Barça travel to Rayo first before a mammoth UEFA Champions League clash against Porto which, if things go wrong, could be catastrophic for their season. After that, Atlético Madrid and table-toppers Girona await the Catalans.
Which players are out for Barcelona?
The big news ahead of the return to LaLiga action is that Spanish midfielder Gavi is out for the season, and quite possibly even the upcoming Euro 2024 tournament. The player suffered a torn ACL during Spain’s win over Georgia and was taken off in the first half. He has now returned to Barcelona and will begin his long road to recovery there, starting with surgery next week.
Another huge name on the injury list is causing concern for the Catalan side: Marc-Andre Ter Stegen has seemingly not recovered from a lower back injury that saw him leave Germany national team duty early and return to Spain. The goalkeeper has been a fundamental part of keeping an underperforming Barcelona side towards the top of the LaLiga table so his loss, if confirmed, and the player has not trained with 48 hours to go ahead of the game, would be potentially cataclysmic for Xavi’s starting XI.
Which players have returned from injury?
One player who is finally back in the squad is Frenkie De Jong. The Dutch midfielder has put an end to two months on the sidelines and will return to the midfield if all goes to plan in the run-up to the game in the Spanish capital. The former Ajax midfielder has been suffering from an ankle problem and will be needed as soon as possible to fill the hole left by Gavi.
The other international players all returned to training as normal: Araújo, Gündogan, Lewandowski, Koundé and Christensen and are all expected to be available for the game. Whether or not they play 90 minutes, given the travel and recovery time between the fixtures, is another matter.
Barcelona’s game against Rayo Vallecano in LaLiga EA Sports will be played on Saturday 25 November 2023, and will kick-off at 8 a.m. ET / 5 a.m. PT.