Last Year Winners Barcelona ended up feeling let down after being held to a dull 0-0 stalemate at the Athletic Club Bilbao on Sunday, missing an opportunity to cut the deficit with the present league leaders Real Madrid. It was all set up for FC Barcelona to move forward after Real Madrid squandered points in their draw with CF Valencia on Saturday. It was a glorious chance for Barcelona to come back into the title charge significantly and put pressure to Real Madrid in upcoming games.
Barcelona was looking for the victory that would allow them to cut the gap with their opponent’s and go up to second position in the standings after Real dropped points on Saturday after the match ended 2-2 at CF Valencia. Yet, Barcelona wasted this opportunity as they were only able to salvage a single point out of the match, which meant they were eight points below Real Madrid and one point behind Girona, preventing the much-anticipated surge ahead of Girona FC into the second spot. In a dull first half, Joao Cancelo of Barcelona came close to scoring when his effort from near to the halfway line curled over the Athletic goalie.
However, it was taken away by the opponent’s defender. In the later half of the game, Athletic Club Bilbao increased their intensity and the flow of the contest changed. Emerging as serious threats, Alex Berenguer as well as Inaki Williams tested the limitations of the Barcelona defense.
Athletic Club tried harder and adopted a more assertive strategy, but they were unable to penetrate Barcelona’s strong defense, which held firm to guarantee that the visitors would leave with a vital point to stay afloat in the league race.
Sunday’s Spanish league match between Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao required the substitution of midfield players Frenkie De Jong & Pedri due to injuries sustained in the first half. The lifeless draw on Sunday meant Barcelona stays on 58 league points,which is eight points behind Real Madrid who are on 66 league points and one point behind FC Girona, who are surprisingly sitting 2nd in the league table on 59 points even after losing 1-0 at Mallorca previously in the day’s action.
Riding high on an incredible 10-match home victory streak in all competitions, Athletic Club Bilbao sought to maintain their stellar play. With 50 points, they are on fifth spot in the league with Atletico Madrid on fourth, who have 55 points. They tried to get closer to them.
After getting hurt against Athletic Club Bilbao, Frenkie de Jong of Barcelona was carted off on a medical team vehicle, and Pedri also suffered a blow that forced him to leave the pitch early.
Pedri and Frenkie De Jong, two crucial midfielders for Barcelona, were substituted in the first half, dealing the team with two significant setbacks. Pedri was replaced by Lamine Yamal, and De Jong was substituted by Fermín López. The team has not provided information regarding the injuries of both players though.
After being challenged by an opposing player and landing haphazardly on his right foot, De Jong was taken off the pitch during 26th minute of 1st half.
Just before the half, Pedri appeared to have hurt his right leg and sobbed as he exited the field too.
The 21-year-old midfielder has now unfortunately suffered nine leg muscle injuries following the conclusion of the 2020–21 campaign.
De Jong, a Netherlands international, fell down in pain following an ungainly landing while he challenged Unai Gomez of Athletic Club for a header. The midfield player appeared to be able to leave the field while the medical staff responded to his ankle, but he quickly fell back and needed to be removed off the field on a medical vehicle.
Pedri needed to be replaced just before halftime also due to what appeared to be a hamstring strain sustained while attempting a clearance, significantly exacerbating the situation for Barcelona and head coach Xavi.
Xavi said in the post-match interview that it’s been an awful day for them.
He also added that within a couple of days, they’ll understand and analyze more about both the players injuries, but things don’t seem promising. The event impacted Barcelona and Xavi feels that both of them may miss a few games as a result.
Pedri’s muscle problem didn’t seem nearly as serious as De Jong’s ankle ailment. When they go back to Barcelona, both guys will be tested by the team’s medical staff, and Xavi is worried about the health of two important players at a pivotal point in the season.
FC Barcelona will play home game to RCD Mallorca in their domestic league on 9th of March and will play host to Napoli in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 on March 12. In Italy, the opening leg finished in a 1-1 draw against Napoli.
Due to a return of a same thigh issue, Pedri is probably going to be fully forced out of the Catalan club’s Champions League round of 16 second-leg match against Napoli on March 12.
On the contrary De Jong is expected to be a serious doubt. Due to injuries, Barcelona are currently missing three of their four starting midfield players. To fill the void, they may have to look even further into their academy. It will be a huge task for Xavi to field a strong eleven with two crucial players like De Jong and Pedri injured for quite some time now.