Barcelona to be without important midfielder for final Champions League fixture | OneFootball

Barcelona are already assured of their place in the last 16 of the Champions League, but a win over Atalanta next week would mean a top 2 finish in the league phase, which would also ensure extra prize money for the financially-struggling Catalan giants.

Although they theoretically have nothing to play for outside of this, Hansi Flick is unlikely to take Wednesday’s match lightly. Barcelona would finish top of the league phase standings if Liverpool were to lose at PSV Eindhoven, so they will want to take advantage of any slip-ups from the Premier League leaders.

Nevertheless, it’s probable that Flick will make some changes, with the likes of Andreas Christensen, Frenkie de Jong and Ferran Torres pushing for more playing time. Dani Olmo would also have been in the mix, but that will no longer be the case.

Dani Olmo has been struggling with an injury in the last couple of weeks (Photo by Marca / Ramon Navarro)

Olmo missed Barcelona’s 5-4 victory over Benfica in midweek after suffering a muscular injury in training, and he will also not be risked against Valencia on Sunday. Furthermore, it has been reported that the Atalanta match will also come too soon for the 26-year-old midfielder.

Barcelona will not take any risks with Olmo, given his poor injury record in the last few years. The idea is for him to be available for next Sunday’s fixture against Alaves, although that will depend on whether he recovers sufficiently over the coming week.

Flick has sufficient cover for Olmo, which is why Barcelona can afford to take things slow with his re-integration. Gavi has been on good form in recent weeks, while Fermin Lopez and Pablo Torre are also options that are at the disposal for the German head coach. Nevertheless, it will be frustrating not to have the Spanish international available, especially as there are doubts over whether his registration will stand until the end of the season.