Tonight Barcelona face Celta Vigo in La Liga and with all the talk of the match, three players will have other things in mind entering this match.
Kounde, Eric Garcia and Frenkie de Jong all sit one yellow card away from a suspension. Being booked at Celta today will automatically rule them out for Barcelona's next league match at Getafe.
Regardless of what the result is between Barcelona and Celta Vigo, any one of the trios being out is an issue for Flick. Three missing would undoubtedly result in a selection headache for Hansi Flick, this close to the end of the season. Barcelona's title race is still wide open and every win will count.
Kounde is Barcelona's preferred option at right back and arguably one of the important players in the squad at this present moment. Losing him would drastically alter how Bara defend and how they build their play from the back.
Eric Garcia offers defensive depth at centre back and in midfield and has proven to be a reliable option in all the positions he has played.
Frenkie de Jong has struggled with injury this season and has had a start-stop campaign, losing him for any amount of time, including due to suspension, is difficult for Barcelona to overcome.
Flick will now have to decide how he wishes to approach managing the trio throughout this match. Take them off once the score is secured? Or leave them on for the full 90 minutes?
Celta Vigo currently sits at 6th place in the league and they have a habit of being a thorn at Barcelona’s side. It is by no means going to be an easy match to avoid yellow cards.
Getafe is the type of game Barcelona have to win to apply to get closer to winning the league title. Going into that match with three absent first-team players would put a significant dent in that ambition.
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