The Chilean may miss next Sunday's derby against Espanyol, the first of
two games left in La Liga with the Catalans fighting to win the title.
Claudio's
injury against Real Betis on Saturday has swung the door wide open for fellow
goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen to make his mark.
He suffered
muscle pains in his right leg during Saturday's game against Real Betis and was
replaced by Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Tests on
Sunday showed he has injured his right calf but Barcelona will not say how long
he could be out for, merely suggesting that "his recovery will determine
whether he is available for the next games."
The Chilean
came off with two minutes remaining at the Estadio Benito Villamarin due to a
calf strain and was replaced by ter Stegen, who helped see out a 2-0 win for
the Catalans. The German came to Catalonia ready-made for the final three
crunch games of the season for Barcelona.
Three
crucial games that could land the club the league and cup double.
Of the five
finals played by the Blaugrana last year, Ter Stegen missed just one after
being unexpectedly unseated by Bravo for the Club World Cup in Japan. He also only
lost the Supercup of Spain to Athletic Club thanks in part to conceding four
goals in the first-leg, leaving Barcelona without a second calendar year finish
of six trophies in their history.
Ter Stegen
shouldn't have any nerves going into the closing stages of the season given his
experience, and coach Luis Enrique has already said he is confident in the
24-year-old's abilities.
If a final flourish is still not enough to force
his way into the number one spot permanently, ter Stegen will start to look
elsewhere for other opportunities - and Pep Guardiola is already reportedly
keen to take him to Manchester City next season.
No comments:
Post a Comment