Although Barcelona were flying high after an incredible 4-2 comeback victory over Atletico Madrid in which they were down 2-0 at the Wanda, they have received some tough news in the aftermath of the title-boosting victory.
Barcelona confirmed that defensive midfielder Marc Casado suffered a ligament injury to his right knee and will likely be out for the remainder of the 2024/25 season.
Meanwhile, starting center back Inigo Martinez, who assisted Robert Lewandowski’s brilliant Barca opener, will be out for the remainder of the month with a muscular injury, as confirmed by the club.
Although Martinez will be back soon enough after a few weeks of rest during the international break, Casado’s injury looms large. Here is a look at the best Barcelona lineup with both key players injured.
GK Wojciech Szczesny
LB Alejandro Balde
CB Ronald Araujo
Andreas Christensen remains out of action with an injury of his own, so Ronald Araujo makes the most sense as the starting center back next to the young Pau Cubarsi.
Araujo used to be an unquestioned starter for Barcelona, but his own significant injury in the first half of the season, combined with strong play from Martinez, doomed the talented Uruguayan to a backup role.
Although Araujo is a great athlete, he leaves something to be desired as a fit in the Barcelona system due to his overly aggressive style of play and his subpar skills on the ball.
Out of any player in the Barcelona starting lineup, Araujo will have the most to prove in Barca’s upcoming rivalry fixtures against Espanyol and Girona while Martinez is sidelined.
CB Pau Cubarsi
RB Jules Kounde
Jules Kounde could be an option to start at center back with Hector Fort coming in at right back, but Fort clearly isn’t ready for the starting lineup and Barca have some tricky opponents coming up in Espanyol, Osasuna, Girona, and Atletico Madrid again in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals.
CM Pedri
Pedri has been the most outstanding player on Barcelona these last few weeks and is quietly playing himself into Ballon d’Or contention alongside teammates Lamine Yamal and Raphinha.
CBS Sports pundit and former Barcelona star Thierry Henry has been giving Pedri high praise as of late, and with Marc Casado out, the fine work he’s been doing in midfield will become that much more important for the Blaugrana.
CM Frenkie de Jong
Frenkie de Jong has only started a handful of games this season and been a constant source of transfer rumor and innuendo, but it’s important to remember that when Barcelona were last Spanish champions, the Dutchman played a crucial role in their success.
One of the best box-to-box midfielders in the world with the ball at his feet, De Jong can prove that he’s still a better player than the high-upside Casado, and, like Ronald Araujo, he’s a formerly vital player who has a ton to prove to fans in the coming fixtures – and for the remainder of the 2024/25 campaign.
AM Dani Olmo
Fermin Lopez and Gavi should get more opportunities in midfield, too, with Casado out, but even further up the pitch, more will be asked of Dani Olmo to help out defensively, which is an area in which he has yet to truly distinguish himself in his career.
LW Raphinha
ST Robert Lewandowski
RW Lamine Yamal
Joe Soriano covers West Ham for Green Street Hammers and writes about Real Madrid for The Real Champs. He has extensive experience covering world football since 2014. Joe is an editor for The Trivela Effect, where he covers the biggest clubs in European football. He has watched professional sports regularly since 2002 and can be found playing the same sports he covers with his friends.