Barcelona face defensive shortage ahead of Celta Vigo trip | OneFootball

Barcelona have faced the first weeks of the season with a shortage of central defenders and will again only have two available for this week’s trip to Celta Vigo.

As outlined by a report in Marca, only Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet are the senior central defenders available for the game following on from Sunday’s 4-0 win over Villarreal.

Uruguayan defender Ronald Araujo was included in the squad but he is technically still part of the B team, while Ramos Mingo – a January arrival from Boca Juniors – was also surprisingly called up for the matchday squad.

As it turned out, the Blaugrana kept a clean sheet and were rarely threatened by a timid Villarreal, but the lack of cover in the position is said to be a concern.

Central defensive duo Samuel Umtiti and Jean-Clair Todibo remain unavailable and the report confirms how both players remain on the transfer market, and do not feature in the club’s plans for this season.

It is said by the report that Manchester City defender Eric Garcia remains an option for the club going into the final week of the transfer window.

Image via Marca