At a glance
- Fermin Lopez is now back in group training after missing Saturday’s session.
- After Robert Lewandowski and Eric Garcia went through similar predicaments, the Andalusian is now wearing a mask.
- He should be fit for Wednesday’s La Liga clash against Celta Vigo.
FC Barcelona have a new man in the mask in Fermin Lopez.
As ReadBarcelona reported on Saturday, Fermin and Marc Bernal both missed training, in what was the first session back after three days off following the painful Champions League quarterfinal defeat to Atletico Madrid.
While Bernal is recovering from an ankle sprain, Fermin received Juan Musso’s boot to the head and needed stitches.
On Sunday at the Joan Gamper CT, however, the Andalusian rejoined the group and is now looking at making the squad list for Wednesday’s La Liga clash with Celta Vigo at the Spotify Camp Nou.
Fermin is Barcelona’s third man in the mask this season
With Fermin’s appearance came the brandishing of a face mask. As pointed out by SPORT, he’s Hansi Flick’s third player this term to need such protection.
Already in 2024/2025, we’ve seen Eric Garcia use it as a precaution after breaking his nose against Club Brugge in the Champions League. Garcia took his mask off on February 3, meaning he wore it for a full three months before parting with the headgear for the Copa del Rey quarterfinal against Albacete on that date.
After that, Robert Lewandowski suffered a left eye orbit fracture against Villarreal, meaning he missed the Copa del Rey semifinal second leg against Atletico where Barca won 3-0 but still lacked a goal to equal this weekend’s runners-up on aggregate.
Lewandowski had to play masked for a month, only taking it off when scoring a late winner in the 2-1 league victory over Atleti at the Metropolitano a fortnight ago.
Marc Bernal is still absent for Barcelona
Speaking of that more pleasant night in the Spanish capital, Marc Bernal still isn’t training with the group.
He sprained his ankle in that match, with expert estimating his recovery timeframe at 10 days. Two weeks on, though, he remains missing from Flick’s sessions and there is no word on his return.
In his place, Frenkie de Jong should start against Celta if not a born again Gavi alongside Pedri.
