Barcelona v Newcastle United: Injury news as Hansi Flick’s side handed a major boost ahead of UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second-leg.
Hansi Flick made a number of changes to his starting XI from the one that began at St James’ Park for their clash with Sevilla, including resting Lamine Yamal. In his absence, Raphinha hit a hat-trick with goals from Dani Olmo and Joao Cancelo securing a comprehensive win for Barcelona, one that ensured they would end the weekend four points clear of Real Madrid at the top of the La Liga table.
Yamal was used as a 68th minute substitute on Sunday having played 90 minutes on Tyneside last week. It was, of course, his late penalty that rescued a draw for Barca, although many will argue that he shouldn’t be eligible to feature on Wednesday night after being very fortunate to avoid a booking at St James’ Park last week.
Had Yamal been shown a yellow card for his foul on Lewis Hall, then he would have been banned and forced to watch Wednesday night’s game from the stands. Fermin Lopez similarly avoided a suspension for a cynical foul, meaning both will be able to feature at the Spotify Camp Nou.
Barcelona receive major injury boost
Flick was not only able to rest a few of his key players at the weekend, he was also boosted by the return of Gavi who featured for the first time since August. The young Spanish international replaced Raphinha with seven minutes of normal time left to play for just his third appearance in all competitions this season.
A knee injury had kept Gavi sidelined since just the second week of the season, although he did travel to Newcastle with his teammates last week as Flick looked to slowly reintroduce him to first-team matters. Gavi wasn’t named in the German’s matchday squad last week in England, but his return to action at the weekend could see him feature on Wednesday night.
The Gazette has launched a new WhatsApp NUFC channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates directly to your phone.Simply click this link to join our NUFC WhatsApp channel.
Frenkie De Jong, Alejandro Balde, Jules Kounde and Andreas Christensen, all of whom missed the first-leg on Tyneside, will not feature for Barca this week.
Newcastle United injury news v Barcelona
Eddie Howe, meanwhile, will be hopeful of having Sandro Tonali back available to him on Wednesday night after the Italian international missed their win over Chelsea on Saturday. Tonali, who played the full match in the first-leg, was ruled-out of their win at Stamford Bridge with illness.
Lewis Miley could also return to the team, although he remains a major doubt as he continues his recovery from a leg injury. Fabian Schar will certainly miss out with an ankle injury.
The Magpies will be joined by Bruno Guimaraes for their trip to Spain, although the Brazilian won’t feature at the Camp Nou. Guimaraes remains sidelined with a muscle injury and is not expected to return until next month.
He will, though, join his teammates for their trip to Barcelona. Guimaraes hasn’t featured for United since being injured in the dying stages of their win over Thomas Frank’s Tottenham Hotspur last month.
Continue Reading