Barcelona ?midfielder/full-back hybrid Sergi Roberto sustained a first-half knee injury and was forced to watch from the sidelines as his side overcame Basque outfit Eibar by three goals to nil on Saturday afternoon, the club confirming the injury after the match.
Goals from ?Lionel Messi, ?Luis Suárez and Antoine Griezmann, or MSG as they are occasionally called, meant that Ernesto Valverde saw his first-choice front three all net in the same game for the very first time.
However it was not smiles all round, as 27-year-old Roberto was forced off at the break after sustaining damage to his left knee, eventually being replaced by fellow right-back Nelson Semedo.
The severity of the injury is not yet known, neither is the extent of time to which Roberto will spend on the sidelines. However the former Barcelona B man will be eager to put his injury woes behind him after missing ten games in all competitions during the 2018/19 season.
The injury will no doubt cause a headache for Valverde, who already has injuries worries over key defenders such as Samuel Umtiti – who returned against Eibar – and summer signing Junior Firpo (muscle injury).
However, it is apparent that some ?Barcelona fans are not too disturbed by the news of the injury…
Sergi Roberto is so incredibly average man. Think im a better footballer than him.
— 10 (@zyl0h) October 19, 2019
Whereas other fans were quick to relay news from local radio on the injury.
Sergi Roberto’s injury is not worrying. [cat radio]
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) October 19, 2019
Valverde will be keen to get as many players back from injury as soon as possible with a busy schedule just around the corner, with as many as 13 games before the start of the New Year – possibly including a rearranged Clasico.
Barcelona travel to the Czech Republic on Wednesday to take on Slavia Prague in the Champions League at the Sinobo Stadium.
The Catalan giants then get a break before they host Real Valladolid at the Camp Nou six days later, after the Clasico against ?Real Madrid was postponed due to political unrest in Catalunya following the imprisonment of Catalan separatist leaders.
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