FC Barcelona travel to the Vicente Calderon to face Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid in a top of the table clash on Saturday.
FC Barcelona have made a quiet start to the new league campaign after registering two unconvincing 1-0 wins over Athletic Bilbao and Malaga. Luis Enriquea s side will be looking to kick start their campaign by overcoming Diego Simeonea s gritty Atletico Madrid side at the Vicente Calderon stadium.
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FC Barcelona had 14 players away on International duty and have been left relatively unscathed by injuries with only goalkeeper Claudio Bravo getting injured for the Blaugrana.
Calf Muscle Strain for Claudio Bravo
The Chilean international got injured on international duty and is expected to be out for 3-4 weeks for the Catalans. He is expected to miss league clashes against Atletico Madrid, Levante, Celta Vigo and possibly Las Palmas. German international Marc-Andr ter Stegen will be deputizing in goal for Bravo.
a I see Ter Stegen doing very well, the same as he has been since the start of the pre-seasona , said Enrique.
a Normally when you let in a goal it’s only the fault of the goalkeeper a low percentage of the time.
a I see him doing well, the same as Jordi Masip.
a I’m not going to compare team-mates, because it wouldn’t be pretty.
a Bravo, Ter Stegen and Jordi Masip each have their characteristics and bring things into the team.”
Earlier, Bravoa s agent Cristian Ogalde confirmed that the Barcelona goalkeeper is set to spend 3 weeks on the sidelines.
“Claudio is alright a he will be 100 percent in three weeks,” Ogalde told Radio Cooperativa.
“I have spoken to him and he is relaxed. Claudio expects to feel fine within a week, but he needs to recover fully to make sure the injury doesn’t recur in the coming months.
“He will miss a few La Liga matches, but he is better off making a good recovery so that he doesn’t have a relapse and can be fit for the rest of the season. There is no need to rush the process only to be ruled out for six months with a new injury in the same area.
“The injury was something that everyone was worried about but we were more laid back because Claudio is fine. It is a muscle injury that can occur for no specific reason.”
Gerard Pique Suspended
Meanwhile Barcelona centre-back Gerard Pique will be unable to feature for the Catalans against Atletico Madrid as he continues to serve out his 4 match ban. Pique was suspended for abusing the linesman during the 2nd leg of the Spanish Super Cup against Athletic Bilbao which Barcelona eventually ended up losing 5-1 on aggregate.
He will further miss Barcelonaa s home match against Levante next week.
Sergi Roberto has recovered from his knock and will continue to deputize at right back for the injured Dani Alves.