As Barcelona look to recover from a brutal week which saw them lose the La Liga lead and all but eliminate them from the Champions League, the Blaugrana are slowly recovering from their injury crisis.
At one point the Blaugrana had as many as seven injuries in the first team squad, six of which were sustained during the international break. At the weekend, Jules Kounde came straight back into the line-up for El Clasico. Although the Blaugrana did not look solid in defence, Kounde’s presence was a clear upgrade.
According to Sport, there is a strong chance that Hector Bellerin will be back for their next match at Villarreal too. Bellerin was not on international duty at the time but suffered a calf strain in training, ruling him out for multiple weeks.
After training at full pelt on Monday though, Bellerin is expected to return to the squad for Barcelona’s fixture at home to Villarreal on Thursday though.
It would leave Xavi Hernandez with another option at right-back, having been restricted more or less to Sergi Roberto or a makeshift solution since the international break. Andreas Christensen, Memphis Depay and Ronald Araujo remain on the treatment table.
