Samuel Umtiti fit for el clásico after finishing Sevilla match pain free

The Barcelona defender is ready to face Real Madrid

Samuel Umtiti returned from a long spell on the sidelines due to injury against Sevilla, and encouragingly, the defender finished the match without feeling pain in his knee, according to Diario AS.

According to the report, Umtiti completed 90 minutes “barely noticing” any pain, and he completed today’s training completely normally and is in “perfect condition” to play against Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey. Umtiti has been dragging the injury since last year. When he returned initially, it was against Atlético Madrid in a 1-1 draw at the Wanda. But after that, he didn’t feature again for two months. He reportedly finished that match with intense pain in his left knee which made him have to stop playing once again.

The situation is totally different now, or at least we hope, and the player seems fit for el clásico. Still, we could see a central pairing of Gerard Piqué and Clément Lenglet instead. Lenglet did not feature in Barcelona’s 4-2 win over Sevilla, perhaps purely due to rotating him to keep him fresh against Madrid.

Meanwhile, Arthur and Jasper Cillessen are injury doubts for the Copa match. Cillessen in particular is desperate to return, because it would be his first clásico and he may never get the chance again if he leaves in the summer. Also, if Barcelona do not qualify, he will be unable to play the Copa del Rey final and may not have many other chances to play again this season.

Source: barcablaugranes.com