Fermin Lopez suffered a gruesome facial injury in the first half of Barcelona's Champions League tie with Atletico. He was already playing with a headband, after needing stitches in a wound following a collision in training, when he was hit full in the face by goalkeeper Juan Musso's boot.
Massimiliano Allegri's teams are renowned for being good defensively, yet they conceded three goals without even offering any attacking threat, highlighting a significant issue.
I've watched the 6-1 game [against PSG] many times, I saw it live. Neymar has been a huge part of my childhood, he's my idol and I'll always be grateful for what he's given to football. He inspires us all. You pay for a ticket to see him and two or three days after the match you'd watch it again just to see his plays. I want to thank him for everything he's given to football and I hope he can be at the World Cup.
Frenkie de Jong has taken a significant step forward in his recovery, training with the group for the second consecutive session. The Dutch midfielder is now pushing to be available for the upcoming Catalan derby against Espanyol, which is a development that could not have come at a better time.
Barcelona suffered a major blow this morning when it was confirmed star midfielder Pedri will miss the next month due to a hamstring injury sustained against Slavia Prague last night. The Spain international was substituted 61 minutes into the 4-2 victory in the Czech capital and tests this morning at the Ciutat Esportiva showed the extent of the damage. A club statement read:
Marc Bernal was one of the two casualties for Barcelona in their recent 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid. The young midfielder picked up a knock and had to be subbed off around the hour mark.
I can't give an exact timeframe on Marc, Liam Rosenior said in his pre-match press conference. He suffered a hamstring injury just before half-time in the Leeds game. It's a real shame because he's an outstanding player, and one of the best left-backs in the world.
