Memphis Depay is again missing from the match selection of FC Barcelona this weekend, which will receive a visit from UD Almeria this weekend. The attacker of the Dutch national team therefore only has one game left to travel to the World Cup in Qatar with some match rhythm. National coach Louis van Gaal also received bad news about Matthijs de Ligt.
Memphis has been sidelined since September with a thigh injury and hasn’t played a minute since. According to Spanish media, the attacker would have resumed training for a while, but the attacker is again not in the match selection. Next Tuesday FC Barcelona will play the last game before the World Cup break: then the top club will visit Osasuna.
The 28-year-old attacker has only played three games in the main squad of FC Barcelona this season. His last appearance dates back to September 17, when Memphis scored against FC Elche and played for an hour. In the interland break with the Dutch national team, the injury disaster struck. Initially it was thought that the damage was not too bad, but Memphis has not played a game since.
The absence of Memphis would be a big loss for national coach Louis van Gaal. The former attacker of PSV and Manchester United, among others, scored 42 goals in 81 international matches, putting him on course to shoot Robin van Persie’s all-time record from the books. In the last international matches, Memphis formed a strong couple with Ajax striker Steven Bergwijn.
The striker reacted strongly on social media yesterday to media rumors surrounding his absence from Barcelona. It has been suggested that he is deliberately avoiding matches from his Catalan club in view of the World Cup in Qatar. According to Memphis, none of that is true.
Matthijs de Ligt
Matthijs de Ligt needs more time to recover from his knee injury. The announced his trainer Julian Nagelsmann on Friday in the run-up to the Bundesliga match Hertha Berlin – Bayern Munich. That news is also a disappointment for national coach Louis van Gaal.
Nagelsmann said on Monday that De Ligt had a ‘slight sprain of his knee ligaments’, which meant he had to miss the Champions League match with Internazionale. Today the coach indicated that De Ligt will not be there on Saturday in Berlin. The 23-year-old defender sustained the injury last weekend during the 6-2 won league match against FSV Mainz 05.
National coach Louis van Gaal would of course like to have a fully fit De Ligt from November 20, when the World Cup starts in Qatar. The Netherlands will play its opening match against Senegal on day two of the tournament. The national coach of Orange will announce his final selection of 26 players on Friday 11 November, so time is running out for De Ligt.
Frenkie de Jong
Frenkie de Jong is in the match selection of FC Barcelona, where club icon Gérard Pique will officially say goodbye as a football player on Saturday evening. The Spanish top club is in second place in La Liga, with one point less than leader Real Madrid.
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