Return of the Missing Men... Barcelona Fortune Should Change in Nick of Time

Barcelona are about to hit the toughest spell of the season so far, and they are doing so with many question marks over their heads.

Having been brutally outplayed by Manchester City and Sevilla, although they won the latter game, they then struggled to break down both Granada and Malaga, falling four points behind Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.

One of the major problems during this period has been the loss of several players to injury, and in the case of Luis Suarez against Malaga, suspension.

But fortunately for the Catalans, their missing men are marching back at a crucial moment of the season.

The next time they kick a ball at the Camp Nou will be the Clasico on December 3, with three fixtures on the road before then in a gruelling fortnight of matches.

First up are Celtic, with Barcelona heading to Glasgow on Tuesday ahead of the Champions League clash on Wednesday night.

Emilio Morenatti/Associated Press

Playing a European tie at Celtic Park always generates a special atmosphere, and the Scots will both be out for revenge, after the 7-0 humiliation Barcelona dealt out to them on September 13 at Camp Nou, and encouraged by their team’s performances on home territory against Barcelona in the past. 

While Barcelona have savaged them at Camp Nou, it has been a different story in Scotland. In February 2008 Celtic lost 3-2 at home, and 1-0 in October 2013, with their only win over the Catalans coming in November 2012 at Celtic Park in a 2-1 victory.

Then come Real Sociedad at Anoeta on Sunday, with the trip to San Sebastian one of the club’s least favourite dates on the calendar.

Luis Enrique has suffered there both times his Barcelona have travelled, with his whole project close to tumbling down when David Moyes’ team earned a 1-0 victory on January 4, 2015.

The days after that saw sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta sacked and plenty of soul-searching going on at the Ciutat Esportiva training ground.

Last season, his team were frustrated by Geronimo Rulli, with the Real Sociedad goalkeeper putting in a superlative performance to keep Barcelona at bay as they went down 1-0 again on April 9.

Alvaro Barrientos/Associated Press/Associated Press

A game which on paper should be easier is the clash with Hercules on Wednesday November 30, in the Copa del Rey. 

Barcelona head to Alicante for the fixture but you can expect several first-team stars to stay behind, resting up for the forthcoming Clasico.

The injured players are on different recovery schedules, so the team will be restored to full strength bit by bit. Here’s the full breakdown of their absences and returns. 

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Jordi Alba (Fit)

Games missed: Four

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

He went off injured with a hamstring problem against Manchester City on October 19, replaced by Lucas Digne. The French full-back has been playing in Alba’s role since, until Saturday, when Lucho sent on the forward-minded Spaniard as a substitute for the more defensive Digne as Barcelona chased the game.

Barcelona have missed his drive down the left and ability to get to the byline before firing across balls for the forwards to try to take advantage of.

Gerard Pique (Fit)

Games missed: Four

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

Barcelona’s inspiration at the back and arguably the best centre-back in the world, it was impossible for the Catalans not to miss him. However, thanks to the wonderful performances of Samuel Umtiti, now injured himself, the damage done was not as significant as it might have been. 

Pique, like Alba, went off against Manchester City after a poor tackle by David Silva damaged his ankle, and he also returned on Saturday. Pique started and put in a fine display, both solid at the back and a real threat going forward.

Aleix Vidal (Fit)

Games missed: Four

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

Possibly the injury that made the least difference to Barcelona’s form, because since the defeat by Alaves on September 10, Luis Enrique has not given the right-back a single minute. 

He had some adductor issues ahead of the Catalan Super Cup on October 25 and was passed fit ahead of the Malaga game, with Luis Enrique picking him in the squad for that match but maintaining his stance by not starting or bringing on the defender.

Jeremy Mathieu (Returning)

Games missed: Four

Francisco Seco/Associated Press

The French centre-back is not a key player for Luis Enrique, but he does help with regards to rotation and also keeping the pressure on with regards to competition. Mathieu has been out since suffering a calf injury in the Catalan Super Cup and is back in training, so he should return to the squad sooner rather than later.

Lionel Messi (Returning)

Games missed: One

Dave Thompson/Associated Press

Messi only missed one game, Saturday’s draw with Malaga, having fallen ill on the morning of the clash and been forced to withdraw from the squad. Barcelona missed him deeply, with his sorcery the only hope they had of cutting through Juande Ramos’ five-man defence.

According to Sport, Messi was feeling better by Saturday night and trained on Monday, so he should be ready to start against Celtic on Wednesday. 

Luis Suarez (Returning)

Games missed: One

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

It made sense for Suarez to pick up a booking against Sevilla, his fifth of the league season, to be banned for the clash against Malaga and then clear for the games against Real Sociedad and Real Madrid.

At least until Barcelona dropped points in a game they were expected to win without many problems. But what’s done is done, and Lucho will be glad to have the bloody-minded striker back in the squad’s midst for the coming games, which will likely all be battles.

Samuel Umtiti (Injured)

Games missed: One and counting

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

What’s labelled the “FIFA Virus” in Spain struck and saw Umtiti suffer a hamstring injury while training with the French national team. He returned to be treated by Barcelona medics, and his aim is to make it back in time to play in the Clasico.

Andres Iniesta (Injured)

Games missed: Four and counting

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

Along with Pique, his absence has been felt the most strongly. Chopped down ungraciously by Enzo Perez as Valencia tried to intimidate Barcelona at Mestalla on October 22, his resulting knee injury has cut off one of the club’s most creative outlets.

Iniesta’s magic would have made Granada easier work and helped them cut through Malaga’s defensive fortress, while, like Messi, his mere presence creates space for other players because defences are hyper-alert to the threat he poses.

Asked in a press conference if Iniesta would return in time for the Clasico, Luis Enrique was his usual sour self with the media and said that those kind of targets are pure media speculation, but that is precisely what Barcelona are hoping for.

Rik Sharma is Bleacher Report's lead Barcelona correspondent. All information and quotes obtained firsthand unless specified. Follow him on Twitter here: @riksharma_.