BARCELONA
Barcelona’s João Cancelo update: what is the injury and how long is he out for?
The Portuguese defender came off early against UD Las Palmas; the extent of his injury has now been confirmed.
FC Barcelona defender João Cancelo came off early in the LaLiga game against Unión Deportiva Las Palmas, which the Catalans won 1-2, due to an injury he sustained when challenging for a ball inside the box.
The right-back was replaced after 10 minutes by Danish defender Andreas Christensen and subsequently underwent scans to determine the extent of his injury.
Barcelona beat Las Palmas in a tricky game which saw them go behind right after Cancelo was taken off, with ex-Barça forward Munir getting behind the defence to tap past Iñaki Peña in goal. Xavi’s side continued to push and it was Ferran Torres who equalised in the second half before a late - and very questionable - penalty was given to Barcelona in added time after Gündogan was pushed over in the box; the German dult slotted away to give his side all three points.
The win puts them 7 points behind Girona and Real Madrid at the top of the LaLiga table and 3 ahead of Atlético Madrid who are now in 5th position behind Athletic Club.
What injury does João Cancelo have?
Barcelona’s short statement posted on Twitter said that “João Cancelo has an internal lateral ligament strain in his left knee. He is out and his evolution will determine his availability.”
No return date for the defender was given by the club although the extent of the injury suggests that Cancelo will be out for a period of 2-3 weeks. He will, therefore, miss Barcelona’s games in the Spanish Super Cup. He joins Gavi, Ter Stegen and Marcos Alonso in the Catalan recovery room, as well as Pedri.