Hansi Flick heads into the most consequential ten days of his Barcelona tenure with a squad that is fraying at the edges. Three matches against Atletico Madrid in ten days — April 4 in La Liga, April 8 in the Champions League quarter-final first leg, April 14 in the return — and the injury list makes grim reading.
Frenkie de Jong will not be available for the opening La Liga clash at the Metropolitano on Saturday. The Dutch midfielder has been recovering from a hamstring injury in his right leg for five weeks and has already missed seven matches. Barcelona are not prepared to take any risks with his fitness, and Marca report that neither Flick nor De Jong himself want to rush the return. His absence from the league game means Dani Olmo is likely to drop deeper into a defensive midfield role he does not prefer.
Raphinha, of course, remains five weeks away with a hamstring injury suffered during Brazil international duty. The captain and top creator will miss the full triple-header. Christensen is also absent with a long-term problem, while Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde — both of whom returned to partial training during the international break — are still being assessed ahead of the Metropolitano trip.
The fixture itself carries enormous weight. Barcelona lead La Liga by four points from Real Madrid. A win at the Metropolitano keeps them in control. A defeat hands Madrid the chance to close to within one point with a game in hand. Atletico, who have won 13 of 15 home La Liga games this season, are formidable on their own pitch — and they know from the Copa del Rey semi-final earlier this season that Barcelona can be overwhelmed there.
Flick has the Champions League first leg four days later to consider too, meaning squad management across all three matches will be delicate. Barcelona have, however, won their last six meetings with Atletico across all competitions. They will need that record to hold — and to do it shorthanded.