BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona and Real Madrid will be without three of their top young players when the Spanish league returns this weekend, after they were injured during the international break.
Barcelona lost 19-year-old Gavi for the rest of the season when the all-terrain midfielder tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and damaged his lateral meniscus during Spain’s final European Championship qualifier. Spain was already qualified for next year’s tournament in Germany before it beat Georgia 3-1 on Sunday.
National team coach Luis de los Angeles Fuente has been criticized in the Spanish sports media for failing to get Gavi back when his knee bent inward in a collision with an opponent. She waited for a few minutes before bursting into tears before limping. He will now undergo surgery that will likely also rule him out of Spain at Euro 2024.
Gavi, despite his age, has established himself as a key player for Spain and for his club. He is the most productive tackler in Barcelona’s midfield and replacing him will not be an easy task for coach Xavi Hernandez.
Barcelona’s stopover at Rayo Vallecano on Saturday. They are in third place in the league standings, four behind unexpected leaders Girona and two behind Real Madrid.
Gavi has played the second outfield player with the most minutes this season for Barcelona, Ilkay Gundogan. The Sevilla-born player has gained prominence in recent weeks as fellow midfielders Pedri and Frenkie de Jong were recovering from muscle soreness.
Pedri returned to play for Barcelona before the international break and De Jong is back training for the first time since he was hurt in September. Fermin López, 20, should continue to have opportunities after impressing since moving up from Barcelona’s youth teams.
Goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen is also questionable after injuring his back while playing for Germany. If he can’t play against tenth-placed Rayo, then the rarely used Iñaki Peña will be in goal.
Madrid will visit 16th-placed Cadiz on Sunday to find replacements for striker Vinícius Júnior and flexible midfielder Eduardo Camavinga.
Vinícius tore a muscle in his left leg in Brazil’s 2-1 loss to Colombia on Friday. This will likely sideline the player who played a key role in Madrid’s victory in their 14th European Cup two seasons ago for several weeks.
Vinícius’ injury leaves Carlo Ancelotti without one of his most sensible goalscorers following Karim Benzema’s departure in the offseason to Saudi Arabia. Newcomer Jude Bellingham has taken charge with a record 10 league goals and thirteen goals in all competitions. Vinícius, 23, has scored six goals in total.
Vinícius’ absence may open the door for Joselu to start alongside Rodrygo in attack, and perhaps lead to more minutes for Luka Modric or Brahim Diaz. The 38-year-old Modric has Ancelotti’s replacement in the second half of this season after starting his career.
Camavinga, 21, tore a ligament in his right knee while playing for France.
His absence leaves Ancelotti without one of his most flexible players, who can play as a midfielder or right-back. Camavinga has played in all 4 of Madrid’s Champions League matches and has appeared in all thirteen of the Spanish league matches this season.
Girona has been defying expectations by winning 11 of 13 games. It next faces Athletic Bilbao at home on Monday.
Midfielder Aleix García became the first ever Girona player to play for Spain last week.
Striker Artem Dovbyk and winger Viktor Tsygankov started for Ukraine in Monday’s goalless draw against Italy. That result sent Italy to Euro 2024 and Ukraine to the playoffs to see if they can sign up for them next summer.
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