FC Barcelona has started their new campaign with an impressive away win against Valencia. From a brilliant show by Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal on Barcelona's offensive front and the rock-solid duo of Marc Bernal and Marc Casado in the double-pivot system, the match ended with considerable positives for the Blaugrana club.
Has the first matchday win come with a hefty blow for FC Barcelona?
Even though the club missed some opportunities and looked dull in the first half, Flick's side made it to a well-deserved win, turning things around after halftime. In the end, the Catalan club returned home with the complete 3 points; however, a big question arises: has the first matchday win come with a hefty blow for FC Barcelona?
Just 23 minutes into the heated fixture, Barca's young left-back, Alejandro Balde, got down, looking in serious pain. However, the fear of him following another injury was cleared as he seemed fine to continue in the match. But who knew that the second half would come even more harshly on the full-back, forcing him to be ruled out.
In an attempt to head the ball, Balde fell awkwardly on his left leg, forcing Flick to sub him off for Gerard Martin. Considering the young prodigy's return from his tendon rupture injury after a significant duration of 6 months, Balde's decision to rule out this soon in the new campaign looked serious from Barcelona's perspective.
However, soon, the tension got clear, as reports indicated that Balde just faced a strong bruise and wasn't injured. Speaking to the media after the fixture, Flick expressed his concern over the full-back's condition,
""We'll do more tests when we get to Barcelona, but I think that Balde is fine.""Hansi Flick
Sooner, following Balde's acknowledgment stating that he was alright, reports from Diario AS confirmed that the young prodigy will play against Athletic Club without problems. Considering the already worsening injury conditions at the club, a potential add-up of Balde's rule-out would have Barca in a major setback.
As of now, Balde seems safe from a rule-out; however, the Blaugrana club would certainly take strict measures to avoid any injury as they prepare themselves to fight for European glory.