Barcelona suffer serious injury blow with midfielder now likely to miss rest of the season: Reports
Barcelona midfielder Marc Casado has suffered an injury that could spell the end of his season. The 21-year-old suffered a tear to the ligament in his right knee during the Blaugrana's 4-2 victory over Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano on Sunday (March 16).
According to SPORT (via Toni Juanmarti on X), it is anticipated that the injury will keep him out for more than two months, meaning he is unlikely to play again in this campaign. Casado had been a revelation in the first half of the season, forming a thriving midfield partnership with Pedri under Hansi Flick.
The youngster was handed a start against Atleti, but was substituted after 67 minutes, with Barca 2-0 down. The team rallied for a strong comeback win, but the news of Casado’s injury will come as a crushing blow. The young midfielder has now been rendered unavailable for Barcelona's chase for the La Liga title, Copa del Rey, and Champions League trophy.
He also will not partake in Spain’s Nations League quarter-final against the Netherlands. Flick will now need to lean on his squad depth for the remainder of the term as Barcelona chase for silverware. Casado's absence is a significant loss in midfield, with the club fighting on multiple fronts in the run-in to end the campaign.
Barcelona complete stunning comeback against Atletico to keep LaLiga title hopes alive
Barcelona took a giant leap closer to their 28th La Liga title with a dramatic 4-2 comeback win against Atleti at the Metropolitano. The Catalans did excellently to hold their heads up after going down 2-0 and came back well to pull level.
Atletico came storming out of the gate, with Julian Alvarez (45') and Alexander Sorloth (70') scoring to give them a strong lead. Barcelona, though, were emphatic in their response. Robert Lewandowski ignited the comeback (72') before Ferran Torres leveled the score (78').
Barca took the lead in stoppage time when a shot by Lamine Yamal was deflected in (90+2') and Torres sealed the victory with his second goal shortly after (90+8'). The victory has propeled Barca up to 60 points, level with Real Madrid, but with a superior goal difference and having played a game less.
With only a handful of games left, Barca’s recovery at the Metropolitano could end up being a crucial moment in the title race. If they keep their foot on the pedal, Flick’s men may do enough to stay ahead of their bitter rivals Real Madrid and wrest the LaLiga crown back.
