Barcelona are in the midst of an injury crisis in attack, and there is reportedly more bad news for coach Quique Setian and their fans.
As noted by BBC Sport, Luis Suarez was ruled out for four months after undergoing knee surgery last month and so losing their talisman up top is a huge blow in itself.
SEE MORE: Huge blow for Barcelona as star could miss rest of season after injury setback
The situation is seemingly set to get worse as the Catalan giants confirmed in their tweet below that Ousmane Dembele has sustained a hamstring tear, and so it remains to be seen how long he’s sidelined for.
INJURY UPDATE | Tests carried out on Ousmane Dembélé today have confirmed that he has a complete proximal hamstring tear in his right thigh. In the next few hours a decision will be made on the treatment to be followed for his recovery. pic.twitter.com/fk7KgzaMC6
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 4, 2020
With those two blows in mind, Setien is essentially down to three main options for his attacking trident, with Antoine Griezmann, Ansu Fati and Lionel Messi leading the way for Barcelona in recent weeks.
Unfortunately for the reigning La Liga champions though, there is a risk that their situation could get much worse as ESPN report that Messi has had a thigh problem in recent weeks and is playing through the pain while trying to manage the issue.
Although the 32-year-old has contributed 19 goals and 12 assists in just 24 games so far this season to suggest it can’t be that much of a problem, it is surely far from ideal for Barcelona to have that concern hanging over them as they will be desperate to avoid seeing that injury issue aggravated at any stage between now and the end of the season.
A spell on the sidelines for Messi could be disastrous for their campaign and bid to win trophies, especially if they can’t call upon either Suarez or Dembele to help fill the void.
In turn, it remains to be seen whether or not there is a specific plan for Messi to ensure that he isn’t at risk of being sidelined or if he can continue as he is.