La Derecha Diario Another headache for Scaloni: Balerdi might miss the rest of the season
The Olympique de Marseille defender had to be replaced in the first half after a bad fall. He wouldn't make it for the double date of the South American Qualifiers in June
In the 3-1 loss against Reims, Leonardo Balerdi attempted to clear the ball but fell awkwardly and had to be replaced before halftime. Initial reports indicate a possible ligament injury, with an estimated recovery period of two to three months, which could cause him to miss the rest of the season and the June FIFA date.
The incident occurred in the early minutes of the match, when the former Boca player attempted a bicycle kick that resulted in a dramatic fall. Although Balerdi tried to continue on the field, just 15 minutes later he had to leave the game with obvious signs of pain. While no official medical report has been issued yet, in France there is already talk of a sprain in the internal lateral ligament of his left knee.
Leo Balerdi's injury that could sideline him for the entire season
According to L'Equipe, if the severity of the injury is confirmed, the defender will not be able to play for the rest of the season, as his downtime would range between two and three months. This comes at an inopportune time, not only because of his good form at Marseille, but also because clubs like Roma and Bayern Munich seemed to be closely following him ahead of the next transfer market.
"I'm saddened to have lost Balerdi, it hurts even more than the defeat. I hope he recovers soon, because with (Derek) Cornelius he's the only available center-back, as Luiz Felipe is also injured. I asked him how he was, he told me he wanted to continue. Also, we didn't have many options in defense. Without Balerdi, we're missing a fast center-back. We struggle when he's not there, the team often loses in his absence," said his coach, Roberto De Zerbi, after the match, making clear the importance of the Argentine in his scheme. In fact, Balerdi was the team's captain until his departure, at which point he handed the armband to Adrien Rabiot.
Argentina will have many absences for June
If an extended recovery period for Balerdi is confirmed, the defender will join the long list of absences that the Albiceleste will have in the upcoming South American Qualifiers matches. In addition to Leandro Paredes's suspension, Lionel Scaloni will have to face the absence of 14 players due to their participation in the Club World Cup.
The national team will visit Chile and host Colombia in early June for the 15th and 16th rounds of the South American Qualifiers respectively. The striking thing is that these commitments will be very close to the start of the Club World Cup, which begins on the 14th of that month, so Scaloni will have many key absences for these matches.
In addition to the drafts and the absences of Paredes due to suspension and the possible absence of Balerdi due to injury, another almost confirmed absence is Paulo Dybala, who had to undergo surgery on the semitendinosus tendon of his left thigh a few days ago. Like Balerdi, his recovery could cost him the remainder of the season.
Confirmed absences for the Club World Cup:
- Nahuel Molina (Atlético de Madrid)
- Germán Pezzella (River)
- Gonzalo Montiel (River)
- Lucas Martínez Quarta (River)
- Marcos Acuña (River)
- Nicolás Otamendi (Benfica)
- Enzo Fernández (Chelsea)
- Rodrigo De Paul (Atlético de Madrid)
- Giuliano Simeone (Atlético de Madrid)
- Nicolás González (Juventus)
- Ángel Correa (Atlético de Madrid)
- Julián Álvarez (Atlético de Madrid)
- Lautaro Martínez (Inter)
- Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)
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