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Barcelona have been hit with a fresh injury blow ahead of their crucial Champions League last-16 tie with French champions Paris Saint-Germain.
Defender Sergi Roberto, who made his first start since November on Wednesday after returning from injury, has been ruled out of action with a thigh problem after being forced off during Barca’s dramatic 5-3 Copa del Rey win over Granada.
The versatile star has suffered a recurrence of his previous injury and will be out for “a minimum of six weeks,” according to Catalunya Radio’s Jordi Grau. The injury is a blow to manager Ronald Koeman given Roberto can play in a variety of positions in both midfield and defense.
The new problem means Roberto will miss both legs of Barcelona’s tie against Paris Saint-Germain. The first leg takes place on February 16 at the Camp Nou, and the return is at the Parc des Princes on March 10.
Roberto famously scored the winning goal the last time the two sides met in the Champions League. The academy product clinched Barca’s sixth goal deep into stoppage time in 2017 to secure a 6-5 aggregate win in one of the competition’s most memorable comebacks.
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How Will Barca Replace Roberto?
Manager Koeman does have a couple of options when it comes to replacing Roberto. USMNT star Sergino Dest looks to be the favorite. The youngster has featured regularly for Barca since joining from Ajax in October.
Dest has made 22 appearances already for the Catalan giants and has just returned from a brief spell out of action with a muscle injury. The right-back replaced Roberto against Granada and looks set to continue in the side.
Yet Koeman also has 21-year-old Oscar Mingueza available. The Barcelona B youngster has been called up to the first-team regularly this season to help bolster the squad after a series of injuries.
Mingueza’s preferred position is at center-back but he has played regularly on the right side of defense this season, picking up assists in the Champions League against Dynamo Kiev and in La Liga against Athletic Club.
Barca Missing Key Stars For Big Game
Roberto is not the only player Barca will be without for the visit of Paris Saint-Germain. Brazil international Philippe Coutinho will also miss the game after undergoing knee surgery in January that ruled him out of action for four months.
Ansu Fati is also expected to miss out after suffering a setback in his recovery from knee surgery. The teenager’s recovery from his operation is “much slower and more complicated than expected,” according to Miguel.
However, Barcelona could be able to count on veteran center-back Gerard Pique once again. The defender has not featured since November due to knee trouble but has been back in training this week.
Pique is said to be keen to play against PSG but will need to prove his fitness after such a lengthy spell out. Barca have two more La Liga games before PSG visit the Camp Nou, against Real Betis and Alaves.
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