Barcelona will have little time to celebrate their Copa del Rey triumph over rivals Real Madrid, with the Champions League semi-final first leg against Inter coming hot off the heels of their cup victory in Seville. However there is hope that they could have a key player back in action for that clash.
One of the main charactersn in those celebrations was Alejandro Balde, who was seen dancing with Lamine Yamal late into the night, albeit that was just in the dressing room at La Cartuja. Gerard Martin started at left-back instead of Balde, who was missing due to a hamstring injury that he suffered on the 12th of April against Leganes. He was diagnosed with an absence of two to three weeks.
Barcelona have shown vulnerability on set pieces lately. In their last six matches, they have conceded three goals from corners. This issue is especially worrying because upcoming opponent Inter Milan are strong at set pieces. Flick is expected to stress the importance of…
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There is optimism that, after two weeks and two days, Balde could be back in time to face Inter at Montjuic. Diario AS say that Balde will undergo tests on Monday, where depending on how he feels, he could return to training with the rest of the team and become an option for Hansi Flick again. That said the club are cautious, and it will be a decision taken between the coaching staff, Balde and the medical staff.
The part of the muscle Balde injured is one of the most common for relapses if it is not fully healed, and Barcelona are very conscious that any aggravation of the injury would likely leave him out for the remainder of the season. If he does not come back against Inter, he could have minutes against Real Valladolid on Saturday, with a view to him being back to 100% for the return leg in Milan.
The fact that there have been no such reports regarding Robert Lewandowski, who damaged his knee tendons just nine days ago against Celta Vigo, suggests that he may not be back in time for the first leg. Martin and Ferran Torres seem the obvious replacements if Balde and Lewandowski do miss out.