Confirmed, new injury at Barça: double KO for Valencia, Balde isn't the only one

This weekend there won't be any First Division league competition due to the international break. Barça will return to work at the beginning of next week. The blaugranas will host Valencia in a match that will surely be a celebration for the Culé fans because the match should take place at the brand-new and renovated Camp Nou. It will be the first home match after several consecutive away games.

The truth is, it's still not clear if this will be possible since La Liga must be the one to give the final OK for security reasons. However, not all the news is good for Barça since they will have important absences to face the Valencian team. The first absence is the full-back Alejandro Balde due to a muscle injury that will keep him out of competition for the next three weeks (3 weeks).

His absence is important for Flick's system, who will have to trust Gerard Martín or the young Jofre Torrents for the upcoming challenges. However, the problems don't end there; in the last few hours, it has been confirmed that the Andalusian Gavi continues to suffer discomfort in his operated knee. Gavi's new injury isn't serious, although it does worry the club's medical staff because of the affected area.

New injury for Gavi

The Andalusian midfielder from Barça continues to have discomfort in his right knee, which prevented him from playing against Rayo Vallecano. He is also unavailable for the Spanish national team; the injury is related to the same knee he had surgery on in November 2023. He is definitely out for the match against Valencia next weekend on Sunday the 14th.

Barça's medical staff haven't given a return date for the blaugrana player and have only stated that his progress will determine his availability. No risks will be taken with the academy product since they want to avoid, at all costs, a serious relapse. The good news is that Marc Bernal has already been medically cleared, and after the break, he will be able to return to competition if Flick deems it appropriate.

Gavi's knee complicates his return against Valencia

According to recent reports from RAC1, Gavi still doesn't feel well in his knee during this international break. The pain in his knee persists, and almost certainly, he will be out against the Che team. It will be the first official home match in front of the Culé fans, although the venue for the match is still unknown.

Gavi had completed a good preseason with very good feelings after already having a good second half of last season. Now, after this new setback, caution prevails and attention must be paid to the player's progress. This way, Gavi joins Alejandro Balde's absence to face the first match in front of the fans, after three consecutive matchdays playing away.