Skip to main content

Barcelona Captain Andres Iniesta Ruled Out of Spanish Super Cup Trip to Real Madrid

Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta has been ruled out of the Spanish Super Cup second leg against Real Madrid on Wednesday (16 August) after sustaining a muscle injury in his right leg. Thomas Vermaelen and Rafinha Alcantara also remain on the sidelines while Arda Turan, Marlon Santos, Sergi Samper, Munir and Douglas have also been left out of Ernesto Valverde's 19-man squad due to technical reasons.

The Catalans travel to the Santiago Bernabeu with hope to overturn the humiliating 3-1 defeat suffered at the Nou Camp on Sunday [13 August].

Iniesta made the starting line-up in the first leg after being selected alongside Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic to shape the midfield in Valverde's 4-3-3 formation. However, the captain was replaced in the second half by Sergi Roberto and will be unavailable when Barcelona visit Real.

The second El Clasico of the season will also come too early for Vermaelen and Rafinha - with the latter having been out of action since undergoing a knee operation in April.

"Rafinha and Vermaelen miss out through injury and Andrés Iniesta, joins them on the sidelines due to a muscle injury in his right leg," Barcelona have confirmed. "Arda Turan, Marlon, Samper, Munir and Douglas have been left out by the coach."

Turan, Samper, Munir and Douglas already missed the first leg in a clear indication that the quartet don't feature in Valverde's plans.

Marlon, meanwhile, only joined Barcelona this summer after the Catalans activated an option to secure his services from Fluminense after he impressed on loan with the second team during the 2016-2017 campaign. The Brazilian starlet is expected to serve as the fourth choice centre-back in the coming season but will also miss the game as Valverde also has Gerard Pique, Samuel Umtiti and Javier Mascherano available to face Real.

Credit: IBTimes
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Juventus Manager Allegri Signs Contract Extension Untill 2020

Massimiliano Allegri has signed a new contract with Juventus, keeping him with the Serie A side until 2020, the Turin outfit have confirmed. The 49-year-old will remain at Juventus Stadium for another three seasons, having guided the Old Lady to a third successive domestic double. Allegri helped Juve win the Serie A and Copa Italia titles this season, and guided them to the Champions League final. Since taking over at Juventus Stadium in 2014, he has won the domestic double each season and has a 69 per cent winning rate. The former midfielder had been linked with a move to Arsenal before Arsene Wenger agreed a new two-year deal, but will now remain in Turin until the end of the 2019-20 season. In a statement, Juventus said: "Juventus is pleased to announce that Massimiliano Allegri has signed a contract renewal at the club until 2020. "Today's agreement extends a working relationship that has seen the Bianconeri consolidate their position as Italy's...
Post a Comment
Read more

Barcelona Summer Signing Ousmane Dembele Suffers Fresh Injury Blow

Barcelona star Ousmane Dembele is set to be on the sidelines for around "three to four weeks" after suffering a fresh hamstring injury during the Catalan's 4-2 victory over Real Sociedad on Sunday. The 20-year-old winger moved to the Nou Camp from Borussia Dortmund during the summer transfer window in deal worth £93.4m  plus €40m in add-ons. The Frenchman spent more than three months on the sidelines as a result before returning to action during Barcelona's 1-1 draw with Celta Vigo in La Liga on 4 January.Earlier on September Dembele was indeed forced to undergo a surgery after rupturing the "tendon in his femoral bicep in his left thigh" during a clash with Getafe when he was only making his third appearance for the club. Dembele has since made three more appearances, playing 25 minutes during the win over Real Sociedad after replacing Paulinho in the second half. But the Frenchman will miss the upcoming games after Barcelona revealed that th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Roma Midfielder Signs New Deal with Italian Club

Roma midfielder Radja Nainggolan has signed a new four-year contract with the Serie A club. The 29-year-old Belgium international had been linked with Manchester United in Italian media, while Chelsea were also reported to be interested. This was coupled by suggestions that Nainggolan was growing impatient with the numerous delays in receiving a contract proposal from the capital club. However, the 29-year-old has put any doubts about his future to bed by extending his contract until 2021, in a deal that will see him earn €4.5 million per season, including bonuses, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport. "I think I have demonstrated that this is what I always wanted," Nainggolan said. "I'm very happy that the club and I can continue our adventure and move forward together." Nainggolan has played 161 times for Roma since joining from Cagliari in 2014. Nainggolan becomes the third senior central midfielder to extend their contract at Roma th...
Post a Comment
Read more