{"id":606184,"date":"2021-12-29T10:19:46","date_gmt":"2021-12-29T15:19:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/?p=606184"},"modified":"2021-12-29T10:19:46","modified_gmt":"2021-12-29T15:19:46","slug":"barcelona-absentees-lclub-confirm-covid-19-cases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2021\/12\/29\/barcelona-absentees-lclub-confirm-covid-19-cases\/","title":{"rendered":"Barcelona Absentees Continue to Grow as Club Confirm Further Covid-19 Cases"},"content":{"rendered":"

The list of Barcelona absentees has continued to grow after the club announced<\/a> on Wednesday morning that three additional players have tested positive for COVID-19. The three first-team members join an ever-expanding injury list for the Catalonian club.<\/p>\n

Injuries and Covid-19 Cases Increase With Barcelona Absentees Into Double Figures<\/h2>\n

French Duo Test Positive Following Testing Protocols<\/h3>\n

Barcelona have announced that Ousmane Dembele, Samuel Umtiti and youngster Gavi have all tested positive for coronavirus.<\/p>\n

A statement reads<\/a>; “The players O. Demb\u00e9l\u00e9, Umtiti, and Gavi have tested positive for Covid-19 following PCR tests administered to the team. The players are in good health and are in isolation at their homes. The club has informed the relevant authorities.”<\/p>\n

The trio will join other teammates on the sidelines including Alex Balde, Clement Lenglet, Jordi Alba, and Dani Alves. They previously returned a positive test suggesting an outbreak could have occurred within the camp. There are now seven players in isolation.<\/p>\n

Barcelona have resumed training following the Spanish league’s winter break and face a trip to Mallorca on January 2. They will be looking to start 2022 differently compared to 2021 following a year of disappointment. The club faced incredible financial difficulties which forced them to release and sell some players, including global superstar Lionel Messi<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The club further faced terrible luck as Sergio Aguero announced his sudden retirement<\/a> following advice from medical experts. The Argentine experienced breathing difficulties during Barcelona’s match against Alaves and was later diagnosed with cardiac arrhythmia.<\/p>\n

Barcelona’s Torrid La Liga Campaign<\/h3>\n

Barcelona have struggled this season following the club’s financial difficulties. They currently sit seventh in the La Liga table, with an 18 point deficit to leaders Real Madrid<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Their loss to Cadiz in early December confirmed that this season is the worst start for the club since 1987\/88. Xavi was announced as head coach<\/a> following Ronald Koeman’s sacking and is set to be in charge of the club until at least 2024.<\/p>\n

Their Champions League performance replicated their domestic form as they didn’t make it out of the group stages. This is the first time since the 2000\/2001 season that the Blaugrana <\/em>will not take part in the Champions League knockout rounds<\/a>. They will instead participate in the Europa League<\/a> play-off round, where they face a tricky tie with Italian team Napoli. The Spanish outfit will look to avoid further embarrassment in the Europa League.<\/p>\n

Who Is Injured At Barcelona?<\/h3>\n

As well as the COVID-19 infections, Barcelona face an insurmountable list of injuries with nearly 15 first-team players out of action. These include Eric Garcia, martin Braithwaite, Memphis Depay, Moussa Wague, Pedri, Roberto, Sergio Dest and Yusuf Demir.<\/p>\n

Despite the injuries and financial difficulties, Barcelona managed to secure the signing<\/a> of Ferran Torres from Manchester City for a reported fee of \u20ac55 million. They are looking to offload Samuel Umtiti and a few other players in order to repair their wage bill.<\/p>\n

The Frenchman is linked<\/a> to Newcastle United as they look to improve their defensive options. The Geordie-based club is further keeping tabs on Ousmane Dembele.<\/a><\/p>\n

Main Photo<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>