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Published: May 6, 2022 4:54 pm
Last Updated: May 6, 2022 5:04 pm
Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez has, on Friday, confirmed that a key member of his first-team setup may be forced to sit out the club’s next outing.
The player in question? Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Speaking in a press conference this afternoon, Xavi was asked for an update on the fitness levels in his squad, amid a campaign which has been far from kind to the Blaugrana on the personnel front.
And the club’s boss went on to reveal that shot-stopper ter Stegen missed training today, after coming down with a bout of illness:
🚨 Xavi: “About Ter Stegen, we’ll see tomorrow – he wants to play, but today he didn’t feel well and hasn’t trained” #FCB 🇩🇪🧤
— Reshad Rahman ✆ (@ReshadRahman_) May 6, 2022
Elsewhere, Xavi, as expected, also went on to confirm Gerard Pique’s impending absence this weekend, after the veteran stopper picked up a thigh injury during Barca’s win over Mallorca last weekend:
Xavi: “Piqué has an injury in his left thigh, he will not be there tomorrow. It’s a pity because he is such an important player.”
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) May 6, 2022
Betis next up
The latest pair of fitness concerns in Barcelona’s squad of course come ahead of the Catalan giants’ return to action in a little over 24 hours’ time.
Fresh off the back of a return to winning ways at the expense of the aforementioned Mallorca, Xavi and co. will make the trip to the Estadio Benito Villamarin, for a La Liga showdown with Real Betis.
The Blaugrana head into the clash sitting 2nd in the Spanish top-flight, albeit a full 15 points adrift of arch rivals Real Madrid, officially crowned as champions last weekend.