Barcelona will gear themselves up for their most important match of the season when they take on Atletico Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals this midweek.
The Catalans are heading into this game needing to overturn a 2-0 goal deficit from the first leg and would, therefore, require their strongest possible eleven.
Hansi Flick’s men have been recently boosted by positive news surrounding Gerard Martin’s fitness, with the defender likely to be available for this clash.
However, on the flip side, Barcelona midfielder Marc Bernal might not make it in time to feature in the second leg, owing to an injury he picked up earlier this month.
Bernal likely to be ruled out
According to Diario SPORT, Bernal has not yet returned to group training, and the club see no reason to rush him back ahead of Tuesday’s clash.
With the midfielder not at full fitness, it makes little sense to take any unnecessary risks, particularly given the intensity of a knockout tie of this magnitude.
Bernal will have to wait until next weekend to return to the pitch. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)
Barcelona have been cautious with his recovery throughout, and that approach is unlikely to change with so much on the line.
The expectation is that Bernal will return to training on Wednesday, once the Atletico Madrid match has concluded.
From there, the focus will shift to preparing him for Barcelona’s upcoming La Liga fixture against Celta Vigo.
It is, of course, a blow for Flick, who would have ideally wanted as many options as possible at his disposal for such a high-stakes encounter.
Nevertheless, the priority remains getting Bernal back to full fitness rather than rushing him into action prematurely, and Barcelona are expected to manage his return carefully over the coming days.
