Barcelona expected to be without key player once again for crucial Atletico Madrid showdown

Barcelona have been living through a very difficult moment over the last few weeks, although the pressure on Xavi Hernandez and his players was eased somewhat by the 2-1 victory over Porto on Tuesday, a result that booked the Catalan side’s place in the knockout stages of this season’s Champions League.

Barcelona picked up that result without Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, who has been nursing a back injury over the last couple of weeks. He is edging closer to a return, but Sport say that he is not expected to be back in time to face Atletico Madrid on Sunday.

Ter Stegen has yet to resume training, making it three weeks since he last took part in a session with Barcelona. Even if he returns on Thursday, he is unlikely to be up to speed by the weekend, which opens the door for Inaki Pena to start for the third consecutive match.

Pena earned plaudits from Xavi after his performance against Porto, and he will need to be at the top of his game against Atleti if he does play. Barcelona will see that match as a much-win, given that they are four points off the top of the La Liga table.