“We paid the prize,” Hansi Flick told the media after Barcelona rode Osasuna in a 3-0 win, referring to an injury to Dani Olmo. Both the Blaugrana and Los Rojillo were frustrated about the decision to rearrange their match on Thursday evening due to the lack of peace for their players after the international break.
Olmo will miss two to three weeks of action with a muscle problem, so that he will stay out of the matches against Girona (H), Atletico Madrid in the return leg of their Copa del Rey Semi-final (A), Real Betis (H), and probably the first stage of their Champions League collision against Borussia. In the worst of those scenarios, he would also miss Leganes (H) and the return leg against the German giants.
As reported by Sport, Olmo was not the only injury for Barcelona during the game. Pablo Torre replaced Frenkie de Jong during the break and contributed an excellent pass for Fermin Lopez during the third goal of Barcelona. However, the Dutchman came off with a muscle tension and with the change a precautionary measure. Flick said he was optimistic that De Jong would be available for Girona on Sunday.
“I don't hope so it is not like Dani Olmo's case; I think he can play on Sunday. We will have to wait, but it looks good.”
The Catalan daily says that no problem is expected, but it is a sign of the physical toll on Barcelona. With Marc Casado now for most of the season, and OLMO is missing, Gavi is probably the most important candidate who plays in addition to De Jong and Pedri, with only Pablo Torre and Fermin Lopez as natural alternatives. Eric Garcia has sometimes operated on as a midfielder, but the depth of Barcelona will be tested in the coming weeks.
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