Barcelona and Real Madrid will come against each other at King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in the Semi-Finals of the 2021-22 Spanish Super Cup on Wednesday, January 12, 2022, at 2:00 PM (ET). This will be their 15th Supercopa de España meeting.
Real Madrid are the firm favorites in head-to-head clashes, having celebrated a victory on eight occasions so far; Barcelona have grabbed a triumph four times to this day, and the remaining two matches have ended in a draw. Their most recent Spanish Super Cup match was played on August 16, 2017, when the Whites won comfortably 2-0 in the second leg of the 2017-18 Final.
It promises to be an even more exciting clash as they meet for the first time in the competition since then, this time in the 2021/2022 Supercopa de España semis. Several key players of the Blaugrana will miss this decisive clash, a total of seven first-team players. Here you will find out who and why the Barca players are out of this grand El Clasico matchup.
Eric Garcia
Barcelona have confirmed that defender Eric Garcia will be out for roughly five weeks due to a hamstring injury. The 21-year-old defender hobbled out in the second half of Barcelona's 1-1 tie with Granada on Saturday, the latest in a spate of poor defeats for the Spanish superpower this season.
Ronald Araujo
Ronald Araujo was also forced to withdraw from the Copa del Rey game earlier against Linares due to a hand injury that necessitated surgery. The Uruguayan international has a fracture in his right hand's second and third metacarpals and will have surgery this weekend. After the procedure, a medical release will be issued, and a more precise estimate of how long Araujo will be unavailable will be provided. The best-case scenario is estimated to be around two weeks.
Pedri
Pedri tested positive for COVID-19 despite being injured and is currently in self-isolation. After a lengthy season, where he featured for both Barca and Spain, in Euro 2020, as well as Tokyo 2020, he has not played since September. He was granted an extended hiatus, but owing to COVID, his projected return has been postponed.
Sergi Roberto
Sergi Roberto will be unavailable for at least the next four months, according to Barcelona, who confirmed last month that he requires surgery for a thigh ailment. He is expected to be eligible again in mid-April for the final months of the season 2021-22.
Martin Braithwaite
Braithwaite had knee surgery in September and hasn't returned yet. The veteran forward is still recovering from surgery and isn't scheduled to return to the field until February.
Ferran Torres
Torres has been out due to a metatarsal fracture since October. He was a Manchester City midfielder at the time. However, his absence has been extended due to a COVID-19 positive test. Due to his lack of registration for the first team, the 21-year-old forward would have been ineligible anyway.
Moussa Wague
In December 2020, while on loan at PAOK in the Greek League., he received a horrendous injury as he collided with the post in an attempt to save a goal. His knee tendons and ligaments were completely ruptured, according to his doctor. Following that, the Senegalese were forced to miss the remainder of the season. He is said to be nearing the end of his rehabilitation process.
