Report – Reason for Barcelona heavyweight’s absence from squad to face Valencia

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick announced the first official squad list of his tenure as the Catalans get set to take on Valencia in their La Liga opener later tonight at Mestalla.

There was a huge boost for the Blaugrana as key midfielder Pedri made it to the squad list after having recovered from the knee injury he sustained during the UEFA Euro 2024 last month.

However, there was a surprise absence from the list as veteran midfielder Ilkay Gundogan was left out of the squad that will be travelling to Mestalla.

Why was Gundogan left out?

Gundogan returned later than some of the players for the pre-season after being involved with Germany at the Euros.

However, the midfield heavyweight featured in three pre-season matches against Real Madrid, AC Milan, and AS Monaco (Joan Gamper Trophy match).

But, during the last game against Monaco this past Monday, Gundogan, after coming on as a substitute, had to be taken off due to a blow he took to his head.

As such, Mundo Deportivo reports that the German international has been left out of the squad as a precaution by manager Flick.

While his absence will be felt, Barça have enough numbers in midfield with Pedri, Pablo Torre, Marc Casado and Marc Bernal while Andreas Christensen can also fill in as a pivot if necessary.

Who else misses out?

Apart from Gundogan, Barcelona are also without new signing Dani Olmo, who is left out of the squad despite being fit as his registration with La Liga is still pending.

Meanwhile, Mika Faye and Vitor Roque, both of whom are facing exits, are also not included in the squad list for the Valencia game. Clement Lenglet has been registered and given a number but still excluded.

Ronald Araujo, Gavi, Frenkie de Jong, and Ansu Fati are all out through injury.