Barça’s defence is in trouble. After this Tuesday’s match against PSG, Javier Mascherano joined Carles Puyol and Adriano Correia on FC Barcelona’s injury list. The Argentine will be out of action for six weeks.
According to the Club’s Medical Services, Mascherano tore the MCL of his right knee. The player picked up the injury in the second half, when he collided with Jordi Alba, who fell on top of the Argentine’s leg. If Mascherano makes a timely recovery, he’ll be back in action before the season comes to a close.
Despite the injury, the defender would have missed the return leg of the Champions League quarter final anyway, as he’s suspended. Mascherano continued playing for a couple of minutes after the knock with Alba, but he requested the substitution on 84 minutes; Marc Bartra came on in his stead.
Puzzling problem for Vilanova
The confirmed absences of Mascherano, Puyol and Adriano will force Tito Vilanova to use some of his least utilised players on April 10th against PSG. Men like Marc Bartra or Alex Song, who played as a centre back at the start of the season, might get the nod against the Parisians. Another option open to Vilanova is to use Sergio Busquets or Éric Abidal at the back.
