Spanish giants FC Barcelona have, on Monday night, confirmed a fresh pair of blows on the personnel front.

De Jong the difference

Xavi and co. were of course back in action a little over 24 hours ago.

In their first outing of the new year, the heavily-depleted Blaugrana made the trip to Son Moix to face Mallorca, desperate for all three points amid their efforts to keep pace with the European contenders in La Liga.

And, when all was said and done, secure a timely victory is precisely what Barca managed.

A hard-fought 90 minutes, in the end, was decided by a solitary goal, netted on the stroke of the interval.

After striking not only the post, but also the crossbar in quick succession, the oft-maligned Luuk de Jong was finally rewarded for his persistence in nodding home Oscar Mingueza’s deep delivery to the back post:

Torres’ early blow

After getting their endeavours in La Liga firmly back on track, though, Barcelona will now swiftly turn their attentions back towards matters on the cup front.

This comes with another outing to come in just 48 hours’ time, when Xavi’s troops make the trip to Andalusia, for a Copa del Rey Last-32 meeting with Linares Deportivo.

As proved the case against Mallorca, the Blaugrana are set to be unable to call on a whole host of key performers for the clash, with the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Sergino Dest and Gavi currently in the midst of spells in self isolation, owing to positive tests for Covid-19.

Barcelona confirm a pair of blows, including Ferran Torres, before Linares clash

BARCELONA, SPAIN – OCTOBER 17: Sergiño Dest of FC Barcelona is challenged by Gabriel Paulista of Valencia CF during the LaLiga Santander match between FC Barcelona and Valencia CF at Camp Nou on October 17, 2021 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

And, as alluded to above, on Monday, the personnel woes facing the Catalans have only continued to mount.

In a post across the club’s social media platforms a short time ago, Barca confirmed that both midfield sensation Pedri, and January addition Ferran Torres, have joined the list of Covid cases at the Camp Nou.

The pair, in turn, look set to be ruled out for at least the club’s next two fixtures.

 

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