Key Barcelona defender to miss 8-9 games with latest muscle injury – Report | OneFootball

FC Barcelona won their first trophy of the Hansi Flick era last night as they emerged victorious with a 5-2 scoreline in the Spanish Super Cup final. This piece of silverware, which ends a year and a half of the Blaugranes’ wait for a trophy, along with their big win over rivals Real Madrid, made last night a memorable one for them.

This win would go a long way in recovering the morale of a team that lost most of its steam at the end of last year.

However, there were also some concerns from this match that could end up impacting Hansi Flick’s team going forward. One such concern was about the defender Iñigo Martínez, who started the game but had to leave the pitch only 25 minutes into the match because of a rupture of the femoral biceps of the right leg.

According to SPORT, this injury will keep the Spanish defender out of action for the next five weeks, and thus Hansi Flick will not be able to count on a defender who has been a clear starter for him since the start of the season.

During this time, Barcelona are set to play between eight and nine games, and thus Martinez is expected to remain unavailable for the games against Real Betis, Getafe, Benfica, Valencia, Atalanta, Alaves, Sevilla, Rayo Vallecano, and Las Palmas.

His place in the starting lineup is now expected to be taken up by Ronald Araújo, who played his first minutes of the season only a few days ago, in the Copa del Rey tie against Barbastro. This injury can also put on hold the Uruguayan’s potential exit to Juventus.

Meanwhile, Flick will also have Sergi Domínguezand Eric Garcia available to cover for this loss, while Andreas Christensen is also expected to return to availability in a few days.