December 29, (THEWILL) – Ousmane Dembele, Samuel Umtiti, and Gavi have all tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of cases in the squad to seven in recent days.
Barça are set to return to La Liga action following the Christmas break, but Clement Lenglet and Dani Alves tested positive on Monday, followed by Jordi Alba and Alejandro Balde on Tuesday.
Positive tests for Dembele, Umtiti, and Gavi have now brought the total number of Barça players under suspension to seven.
According to the club, all of the players currently involved are in “excellent health.” However, due to the required self-isolation period, they will all be unable to travel to Mallorca on Sunday. The Copa del Rey match against Linares on Wednesday and the ensuing La Liga match against Granada a few days later are both expected to be difficult for the seven.
Pedri, Ansu Fati, Memphis Depay, Martin Braithwaite, and Sergi Roberto are all injured for Barça, while Sergio Busquets is suspended. As a result, Xavi will be forced to rely on junior players from the club’s B squad to help make up the numbers.
Barça missed out on a chance to finish in the top four of La Liga before Christmas, with Xavi saying that the 1-1 draw against Sevilla, who played for half an hour with 10 men, would cause him sleepless nights.
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
