Barcelona and Real Madrid are going head-to-head for the La Liga title once again this season. Real Madrid leapfrogged Barcelona back into the lead at the top of the La Liga table after their 3-1 win over Villarreal and Barcelona’s spectacular 4-1 slump away at Sevilla.
Los Blancos now have a 2-point lead over their arch rivals, and that might increase if recent developments at Barcelona are considered.
La Liga champions Barcelona face injuries to some of their most important players at the moment. The likes of Lamine Yamal and Raphinha have already missed games through injuries this season, and Barcelona midfielder Gavi will also miss a considerable period of time.
Key Injuries Affecting Barcelona
Injuries to goalkeepers Joan Garcia and Ter Stegen have already exposed Barcelona defensively.
They cannot call on Fermin Lopez or Gavi at the moment to ease the load on Frenkie de Jong and Pedri, and Barça do not look as deadly whenever Raphinha misses out. Hansi Flick’s men have also looked limited in attack without Lamine Yamal this season, and his supposed replacement, Roony Bardghji, has yet to hit the ground running.
With frequent injuries to key first-team names, quality squad depth could help determine who wins the Spanish League this season, and Real Madrid appears to have more quality in depth than Barcelona.
Los Blancos can call on the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold (when he returns fit), Arda Güler, Rodrygo, Brahim Diaz, Endrick, Gonzalo Garcia, Camavinga, Rüdiger, and more to help with rotation, but Barcelona do not have that much quality in depth.
There are still 30 matches to play in La Liga, and Real Madrid could also suffer major injuries, but at the moment, Los Blancos seem to benefit from their strong quality in depth.
