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Barcelona were hit with a fresh injury blow on Saturday as midfielder Pedri was forced off in the 2-0 win over Sevilla and subsequently spotted on crutches after the match.
Pedri was replaced in the 71st minute by Ilaix Moriba. Barcelona confirmed after the match the youngster “has a muscle problem in the lower part of his left leg” and will undergo further tests on Sunday.
The news means that the midfielder is now a major doubt for Wednesday’s Copa del Rey semi-final second leg against Sevilla at the Camp Nou, according to Juan Jimenez at AS.
The teenager certainly appeared to be in some discomfort as he made his way back to the team hotel following an important win for Barca at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium.
The injury will be a big blow to Barcelona as Pedri has emerged as a key figure this season. Indeed the teenager and fellow midfielder Frenkie de Jong are the only two players to have featured in every La Liga game for Barcelona in 2020-21.
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Araujo Also Injured
Barcelona may also have a few injury concerns over center-back Ronald Araujo who was also taken off during the match. The Uruguay international only arrived in the 67th minute as a substitute for Gerard Pique but did not finish the game.
Araujo was making his first appearance since suffering a sprained ankle against Real Betis on February 7 but was replaced after going down clutching his ankle. According to AS, Araujo wanted to come back on after receiving treatment but Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman refused to take any risks with the youngster. Araujo was spotted kicking the bench in frustration after being replaced.
The youngster had been expected to start Wednesday’s crucial Copa del Rey clash against Sevilla but his involvement is now in some doubt. It’s also possible Koeman could stick with the tactics he deployed on Saturday after a good win.
Koeman opted to switch his system for Saturday’s match against Sevilla and played three center-backs. Clement Lenglet, Gerard Pique and Oscar Mingueza all featured as Barca kept a clean sheet for the second match in a row and put in one of their best performances of the season so far.
Big Win For Barcelona
The injuries come on a day when Barcelona picked up all three points to move into second place in the table in Spain and just two points behind leaders Atletico Madrid. The Rojiblancos do have two games in hand on the Catalan giants, but the win keeps Barca’s slim title hopes alive.
Ousmane Dembele opened the scoring for the visitors just before the half-hour mark after being sent through on goal by Lionel Messi. The captain then struck a second late on to net his 19th league goal of the season.
It’s a big win for Barcelona against a Sevilla side that had been on an impressive run of form to move into fourth place. The win also sets up Barca nicely for Wednesday’s Copa del Rey semi-final second leg. Barca are 2-0 down in the tie but play the return at the Camp Nou. Saturday’s result will offer belief the Catalans can pull off the comeback needed to secure a place in the final.
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