With all of football being postponed until further notice, the European competitions have suffered the same fate and we still have no idea when and if we’ll even see the current 2019/20 campaign finished properly.
Of course, some of the teams have already punched their tickets for the Champions League quarter-finals after playing the second legs of their ties behind closed doors but others were not so lucky and their clashes have been put on hold.
Still, there is a silver lining in this proper mess of a situation and that’s the fact that the injured players just might have enough time to make a full recovery by the time the big competition returns.
So here are ten such players who might benefit from the Champions League being postponed…
Luis Suarez has been a huge miss for Barcelona ever since he underwent that knee surgery what seems like ages ago. The Catalans managed to salvage a 1-1 draw back in Naples against Gennaro Gattuso’s resolute troops but it was a dreadful affair, to say the least.
With no natural centre-forward apart from Antoine Griezmann – who’s still getting used to life in Catalonia – the Blaugrana look toothless when Lionel Messi isn’t having one of his otherwordly moments. This postponement might give Suarez just enough time to get back into shape.
It’s pretty safe to assume that Bayern Munich will advance into the quarter-finals of the Champions League if the competition does resume at one point in the near future. The Bavarians have a 3-0 lead over Chelsea but their star striker, Robert Lewandowski, is currently out of commission due to a niggling injury.
While Die Roten can certainly survive the return leg against the Blues without him, the latter stages of the competition will require his presence.
On the other side of the pitch we have Frank Lampard’s troops who are all but out of the tournament. But if they are going to even attempt mountaing an incredible comeback, they will need their star up front, Tammy Abraham.
The young forward has been brilliant for Chelsea throughout 2019/20 and even though their chances are minuscule, they will surely get a small boost with Abraham in the lineup.
Another Blaugrana trooper who’s been sidelined with a serious injury is the young Ousmane Dembele. But for him, unfortunately, this has turned into a bad habit of sorts.
It very much feels like Dembele has been absent for the majority of his stay at Barcelona, ever since he joined them from Borussia Dortmund as one of their most expensive signings in the history of the club. Barcelona are looking shaky as it is but if they can somehow recover their young attacking talent in time, they just might be in with a chance for the trophy.
Lyon have done the impossible and they’ve beaten Juventus with a narrow 1-0 scoreline in the first leg of their clash with the Bianconeri. But holding onto that lead might still prove a task too tall for them.
But if Memphis Depay somehow recovers in time to get back into the lineup and they get that away goal in Turin, they just might topple the giants on the other side of the pitch. The former Manchester United player has been in great form and could no doubt be a big asset in the return leg.
Not many teams can come to the Santiago Bernabeu and put Real Madrid to the sword but that’s exactly what Manchester City have done when these two teams met in the first leg of this fixture. But Los Blancos are still waiting for their star signing, Eden Hazard, to finally start firing on all cylinders.
It will be tough mounting a comeback at the Etihad but if the Belgian can recover in time to help his team, Zinedine Zidane could still turn the tides.
Chelsea may be down and almost out of this one but losing Mateo Kovacic to an injury is a huge blow that might derail their whole season or whatever’s left of it.
Having him by their side, however, might give them a glimmer of hope of somehow overturning the 3-0 deficit and eliminate Bayern from the competition. We’ve seen it happen before – yes, Barcelona, we’re looking at you – and with their best player possibly back in the lineup, everything is possible.
Even though Thibaut Courtois’ season at Real Madrid started as a nightmare, the Belgian goalie slowly but surely regained his brilliant form and started dropping masterful displays along the way.
Now, he is very much one of their most important players and he’s showing as much week in, week out. If Real Madrid are to turn the tables on Man City, they will need their keeper healthy and fully recovered just in time.
Napoli put up a valiant fight against Barcelona in Naples but the Catalans still managed to get that important away goal which could prove to be the difference at the end of the day.
But the Italians were still without Kalidou Koulibaly and with his return to the lineup once the competition resumes further down the line, their defence might be sturdier than ever. And then, they can hit on the counter just like they did in the first game.
Will the dam hold with their star in the lineup? Only time will tell.
Finally, Man City will have a lead to defend at the Etihad and with a furious Real Madrid on the other side of the pitch, Pep Guardiola might need all the help he can get.
Aymeric Laporte had to be subbed off in the first game and it was unlikely that he would’ve made a full recovery by the time the second one rolled in. But now, with this postponement pushing the games forward, City just might be locked and loaded for the big clash.
