Barcelona youngster’s availability for Real Sociedad clash currently ‘up in the air’ – report | OneFootball

According to Javi Miguel of AS, Barcelona midfielder Marc Casado’s availability for tomorrow’s game against Real Sociedad is currently ‘up in the air’.

The 22-year-old midfielder failed to finish Saturday’s training session at the Ciutat Esportiva, as he was forced off with muscular discomfort.

Initial assessments suggest that Casado’s problem is not serious, but enough to put his participation against La Real tomorrow at risk.

The La Masia midfielder had started in the last game against Real Oviedo, alongside Pedri, only to make way for Frenkie de Jong at half-time.

If Casado is ruled out, Hansi Flick will be left with very few options in midfield. After all, Fermin Lopez is out for three weeks while Gavi is a long-term absentee for the La Liga champions.

Casado a doubt for Real Sociedad. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Pedri, Dani Olmo and De Jong are expected to start against Real Sociedad tomorrow, with Marc Bernal, who has played just ten minutes since returning from his ACL injury, likely to get minutes as well.

However, manager Hansi Flick could also turn to Eric Garcia or Andreas Christensen, both of whom have the versatility to step into midfield if needed, and have done so on multiple occasions in the past. Youngster Pedro Fernandez ‘Dro’ is also an option.

It is a surprising predicament for Flick, given that the Barcelona midfield was supposed to be the most reinforced area of the squad coming into the season.

In fact, there were even concerns over an ‘overbooking’ of players in that department last summer. But the injuries to Gavi and Fermin, and now Casado’s uncertainty, have left the engine room alarmingly short of resources.

Barcelona have been presented with the golden opportunity to claim the top spot in La Liga with a win over Real Sociedad, after leaders Real Madrid suffered a humiliating 2-5 defeat to Atletico Madrid today.