Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Arthur Melo set to miss Barcelona’s match against Espanyol.
Barcelona are not going to start the new year the way they had hopes as both Marc Andre ter Stegen and Arthur Melo will miss the first match of 2020 against Espanyol.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the German goalkeeper is suffering with discomfort in his right knee stemming from their last league game while the Brazilian midfielder has not recovered from his injury that has kept him out of action for the last couple of weeks.
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In perhaps more worrying news, the outlet also reports that Ter Stegen is contemplating getting surgery to deal with his tendinitis problem.
Should he opt to go that route, he is likely to have it after the Euros rather than during the season.
In the case of Arthur, Barcelona revealed that he will miss the next three weeks as he continues to deal with discomfort in his pubis.
The back-up keeper, Neto, was not due back from vacation until after the new year.
However, Diario Sport reported that he was back in training early given the injury to Ter Stegen.
The Brazilian goalkeeper was brought in this season from Valencia but has not seen a lot of action.
He has only played one match all season which was in the last group game of the Champions League against Inter Milan.
Depending on the status of Ter Stegen, he is going to get his chance to play with Inaki Peña now serving as the back-up.
The latest flux of injuries is not how Ernesto Valverde or the club wanted to start off the second-half of the season.
January and February are going to be crucial months with tough games on the schedule. Games both in La Liga and the Champions League that will dictate whether Barca’s season will be a success or a disappointment.