In a little over six hours, FC Barcelona will face off against Real Betis in La Liga at the Montjuic Stadium, aiming to keep their lead intact at the top of the table.
The Catalans released the squad list of players for the clash a little while ago and there was one fresh absentee from the roster – Inigo Martinez.
The defender, who ended the game against Atletico Madrid in midweek with some overload, had trained normally on Friday and as such his exclusion came as a surprise.
Now, confirming the reason for his absence, Barcelona have issued an official statement, which reads as follows:
“First team player Inigo Martinez has a small fibrillar injury to the gluteus maximus of his left leg and is out for this match.”
𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧 𝗠𝗘̀𝗗𝗜𝗖
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_cat) April 5, 2025
El jugador del primer equip 𝗜𝗻̃𝗶𝗴𝗼 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘇 té una petita lesió fibrilar al gluti de la cama esquerra i és baixa per a aquest partit. pic.twitter.com/B8TRK0jYt8
Martinez, indeed, misses out due to a problem in his glutes. However, the issue is not understood to be anything major and he is expected to be fit and ready to face Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League next week.
However, with Ronald Araujo, Pau Cubarsi and Eric Garcia in the squad, along with the return of Andreas Christensen, Hansi Flick has plenty of options for the centre-back spots for tonight’s clash against Real Betis.
Martinez, 33, has made 37 appearances across all competitions this season, even chipping in with three goals and five assists.
A key player for Flick, the veteran defender recently signed a one-year contract which ensures his stay at Barcelona until the summer of 2026.
