Barcelona to have key player available for Atletico clash after injury scare

Barcelona are through to the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time in three years after beating Porto on Tuesday evening. Their 2-1 win over the Portuguese means that just a point against pointless Royal Antwerp will secure top spot. In further positive news for the Blaugrana, it looks as if they will have Joao Cancelo fit for their crucial La Liga clash against Atletico Madrid this weekend.

Cancelo was brought off in the closing stages of the match, clutching his calf when he went down, but eventually walked off to be replaced by Alejandro Balde. Shifted across to the left side, Cancelo put in a match-winning performance for the Blaugrana, scoring a brilliant goal and putting the second on a plate for Joao Felix.

The player himself declared he would be ready for the Atleti clash this weekend, but MD are now also reporting that his change was precautionary, and he was feeling fatigued, rather than suffering from an injury.

It has not been lost that since his debut in early September, Cancelo has played virtually all of Barcelona and Portugal’s miutes since. He has had just 56 minutes off for Barcelona across their 16 fixtures that he has been available for, while for Portugal, he has also played all but 94 minutes over their past six matches. While Cancelo was not playing for Manchester City at the start of the season, the Blaugrana are running a risk of injury, with no other natural alternatives at right-back.