Copa del Rey Final: Who Loses More? Barça and Madrid's Injury Absences

FC Barcelona and Real Madrid arrive at the Copa del Rey final with significant injury absences. Beyond the refereeing controversies and Madrid's whining, the ball will roll at La Cartuja this Saturday starting at 10:00 PM CEST. By then, Hansi Flick and Carlo Ancelotti will have cleared their doubts regarding how to cover the absences of their injured players.

Below, we review the absences of Barça and Madrid and their impact on the functioning of both teams in the Copa final.

Barça and Madrid will suffer from the absence of their full-backs in the Copa final

For Barça, the absence of Alejandro Balde is undoubtedly a tough blow in defense. The left-back is the defender with the most assists in the squad (10), and while Gerard Martín has done a good job in recent weeks, his contribution in attack is considerably more discreet than that of the '3'.

Madrid, however, has many more problems on both sides when it comes to full-backs. Dani Carvajal's injury since the beginning of October has left a gap on the right that Lucas Vázquez has been unable to cover.

Ancelotti has opted, as an emergency solution, for Fede Valverde as a wing-back, but the Uruguayan is far from performing at a level close to what he offers in midfield playing on the wing.

Similarly, on the left, the absence of Ferland Mendy has given Madrid many headaches. The Frenchman returned to the squad for the final, but he will hardly be in a condition to start. To make matters worse, Eduardo Camavinga also broke down against Getafe, leaving the controversial Fran García as the only alternative for the position.

• 🏥Team most affected by injuries in defense: Real Madrid.

Injuries also hit the midfield of Barça and Madrid

Marc Casadó fell injured after the match against Atlético de Madrid in LaLiga EA Sports 2024 25

Similarly, Camavinga's injury also subtracts an effective player for the 'merengues' in the midfield. Ancelotti, however, has recovered Dani Ceballos to lend a hand in the recovery, although the Utrera native only accumulates a handful of minutes of playing time in the last week before the final.

Barça, on the other hand, has had to devise ways all season to deal with the absences in midfield. The team started the 24-25 season with Frenkie de Jong and Gavi KO, with which two players who were aiming to leave in the summer gained prominence: Marc Bernal and Marc Casadó.

The former broke his left knee on matchday 3 of LaLiga, leaving his place to Casadó. The '17' became Pedri's ideal partner for more than half of the season (he added 6 assists in 36 matches), but his right knee also broke before the first international break of 2025.

Without Bernal or Casadó, Hansi Flick has lost two of his best defensive pivots, but De Jong, Gavi, and Eric García have done a great job to cover their absences in the final stretch of 24-25. Casadó still dreams of returning in mid-May, while Bernal will wait until the pre-season to return.

• 🏥Team most affected by injuries in midfield: Barcelona.

Robert Lewandowski, the most significant absence of the Copa final

Robert Lewandowski, celebrating a goal with Barça

In addition to the absences of Bernal, Casadó, and Balde, there is the one that, without a doubt, will be the most significant absence of the Copa del Rey final. Robert Lewandowski will not be available due to an injury to the back of his left thigh that will probably keep him in the Barça infirmary for at least another week.

The Pole's numbers in 24-25 are simply impressive: 40 goals in 48 matches, 25 of them in 31 LaLiga matchdays and 11 more in 12 Champions League matches. In Copa, he scored a double against Barbastro (0-4) and another goal against Atlético in the 'semis' (4-4), while in the Spanish Super Cup he also scored a couple of goals.

Without the '9' available, Flick will once again trust Ferran Torres, currently the team's top scorer in the tournament with 5 goals (tied with Endrick as the top scorer). The 'Shark' scored the goal that gave Barça the qualification against Atlético in the second leg of the 'semis'.

Madrid, on the other hand, does not add absences in attack, although the physical condition of Kylian Mbappé is not the best either. The Frenchman suffered a problem in his right ankle against Arsenal (1-2) and was left out of the squad against Getafe as a precaution.

• 🏥Team most affected by injuries in attack: Barcelona.

Possible lineup of FC Barcelona for the Copa final

• Starting XI: Szczesny; Koundé, Cubarsí, Iñigo, Gerard Martín; De Jong, Pedri; Dani Olmo, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha; Ferran Torres.
• Bench: Ter Stegen (GK), Iñaki Peña (GK), Ronald Araujo, Gavi, Ansu Fati, Pablo Torre, Christensen, Fermín López, Pau Víctor, Eric García, Héctor Fort.
• Injured: Marc Bernal, Marc Casadó, Alejandro Balde, Robert Lewandowski.
• Suspended: None.

Possible lineup of Real Madrid for the Copa final

• Starting XI: Courtois; Fede Valverde, Asencio, Rüdiger, Fran García; Dani Ceballos, Tchouaméni, Jude Bellingham; Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr. and Mbappé.
• Bench: Lunin (GK), Fran González (GK), Lucas Vázquez, Alaba, Vallejo, Ferland Mendy, Gonzalo García, Luka Modric, Arda Güler, Brahim, Endrick.
• Injured: Dani Carvajal, Éder Militao, Eduardo Camavinga.
• Suspended: None.

Conclusion: Barça arrives more affected by injuries to the Clásico

Thus, Barcelona's absences are more significant in terms of contribution and hierarchy in the team. However, the great work of the coaching staff has meant that the squad suffers less from the absences of its injured players, unlike a Real Madrid unable to find a regular collective functioning throughout the season.

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