Barcelona injury update for Valencia clash: Christensen, Depay still out
Andreas Christensen and Memphis Depay won’t be fit to return to the Barcelona squad for Saturday’s LaLiga matchup with Valencia.
There’ll be no new faces in the Barcelona squad for this weekend’s clash with Valencia. Neither Andreas Christensen nor Memphis Depay will be back on the list for the LaLiga trip to Mestalla, as they still haven’t got over their respective injuries.
Their protracted recoveries are a surprise; under normal circumstances, both players would have returned to availability by now.
Christensen out with ankle issue, Depay has hamstring injury
Christensen damaged his ankle at the beginning of October. Although Barça have never offered up a timeline on the Danish defender’s return, the summer signing was expected to be out for three weeks. It has been almost four weeks now, and the 26-year-old still hasn’t reappeared.
Depay’s injury layoff is even more concerning. The forward picked up a hamstring problem on international duty with the Netherlands in late September, meaning that he has now been on the sidelines for over a month.
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Araújo and Roberto out until after World Cup
The other two players in Barça’s sick bay, Ronald Araújo and Sergi Roberto, are not expected back until after the World Cup.
Indeed, the tournament in Qatar could be a factor in Christensen and Depay’s lengthy recoveries. A swift return carries with it the danger of a relapse which, at this stage, would inevitably scupper a player’s hopes of going to Qatar. For this reason, there are suspicions within Barça that the pair are taking as much care as possible to avoid any risks.
Valencia vs Barcelona: when, how to watch
After suffering a second straight group-stage exit in the Champions League on Wednesday, Barça go to Valencia on LaLiga matchday 12 with the chance to move provisionally level on points with leaders Real Madrid.
The game kicks off at Mestalla at 9pm local time (4pm ET/1pm PT) on Saturday 29 October 2022. Viewers in the US will be able to watch live on the streaming service ESPN+, while AS USA will be providing minute-by-minute commentary of the match.
Madrid, who established a three-point lead at the top of LaLiga by beating Barça in the Clásico earlier this month, visit Girona on Sunday.