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Ahead of the game against Atletico Madrid, Barcelona were already without three of their key midfielders in Gavi, Pedri, and Frenkie de Jong, while the attack was still lacking Ferran Torres.
Alejandro Balde was not present, either, with the left-back set to miss the rest of the season due to injury.
Joao Cancelo had been covering at left-back in his absence, and had done rather well in the recent run of games. He was also on target against Napoli in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 as Barça won 3-1 at home.
However, the Portuguese did not eventually make the squad list for the Atleti game, which definitely came as a surprise to some. Barcelona had not reported any injury to his name, but Spanish media had claimed he had some ‘physical discomfort’.
Following the game, it has come to light that Cancelo is going through a very troublesome time personally, and Barcelona dedicated their dazzling 3-0 win against Atletico Madrid tonight to him, as per Javi Miguel.
Fermin Lopez was the first to speak after the win, saying, “I want to dedicate this win to Cancelo, who is having a hard time.”
For now, it has not come to light what Cancelo is going through exactly, but one can only assume that it is too personal to share right away.
As such, there is not timeline set on his return, either, but this could also mean that he could drop out of the Portuguese National Team for the international break and return straight after the fortnight for Barcelona’s clash against Las Palmas.
Either way, Barcelona will be hoping that the former Manchester City man is gunning for a place by the time they take on PSG in the first-leg of the Champions League quarter-finals on 10th April.
Source link : https://barcauniversal.com/barcelona-dedicate-3-0-atletico-win-to-joao-cancelo-going-through-serious-personal-problem/
Author : Udhav Arora
Publish date : 2024-03-17 22:49:55
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