After returning from injury for the first time since January, Barcelona captain Carles Puyol's status for Wednesday's Copa del Rey final is again in doubt after the defender strained his hamstring in the 1-1 draw at Real Madrid on Saturday.
Carles Puyol’s Status In Doubt for Wednesday’s Copa Del Rey Final
Puyol was stretchered off in the 58th minute and later diagnosed with a strained left hamstring, an injury manager Pep Guardiola contributed to his captain working very hard on the field. The injury isn’t considered serious and Puyol trained separately from teammates today. A final determination likely won’t be made on Puyol until tomorrow or before the second of four El Clasicos on Wednesday
“I’ll definitely be there,” Puyol told the club’s official website today. “Playing or not, I don’t know.”
When asked if he might of rushed his return, Puyol rejected the notion.
“We made the decision and it was the right one,” he said. “I felt very good on Saturday, with loads of enthusiasm and excitement.
If Puyol isn’t unavailable Wednesday, Guardiola will once again have to mix and match defenders and defensive midfielders in the back as the Catalan side attempt to earn the first of what they hope will be a treble winning season. Fortunately for Guardiola and his team, they’ve been dealing with Puyol’s absence for awhile and have gotten used to holding things together without their captain.
With the exception of Eric Abidal being out as he recovers from surgery and Puyol's status up in the air, Guardiola should have the rest of his squad fit and free of suspensions for Wednesday's match.
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