Pere Romeu's headache before debuting in the Champions League

Saint Joan DespiLaia Aleixandri, Renee Van Asten, Aitana Bonmatí, Kika Nazareth, Vicky López, Aïcha Camara and Carla Julià. These are the seven absences that, if nothing changes in the next few hours, Pere Romeu will have for the Champions League debut at the Johan Cruyff stadium against Paris FC this Wednesday (9:00 PM, Disney+). The coach from Bonanova will have to juggle again to present a guaranteed starting eleven at the beginning of the path that must lead Barça to the Warsaw final, scheduled for May 28, 29, or 30.

"We continue to have a very competitive team and we remain a benchmark. We have incorporated well this summer and if you are at Barça, you compete for every title," stated Pere Romeu in the pre-match press conference. Facing a short squad—with only 21 players registered for the first team—the coach will only have eleven outfield players and three goalkeepers available for this Wednesday, in addition to the players registered with the reserve team who are helping the first team. "Every year is a new opportunity for new players or those who were already on the team and hadn't had opportunities in big matches. This season this scenario will open up for them," he remarked.

The good news is the return of Irene Paredes, who is expected to be included in the squad despite having only completed two training sessions with the group. "We have to assess how the day goes, but the idea is for her to be available," Romeu announced. The Basque central defender, who suffered a muscle injury to her left soleus on September 12, has cut down recovery time and could reappear in the Champions League. However, not until this Wednesday—when the club releases the squad list—will it be 100% known who Pere Romeu will be able to count on and who he will not.

Kika and Vicky, the latest to fall

Kika Nazareth and Vicky López are the latest players that Pere Romeu has lost, despite the fact that both had minutes last Friday in the victory at the Alavés stadium (0-6) and did not show any symptoms of injury. The Madrid-born midfielder was a starter, while the Portuguese footballer—who was wearing a bandage on her leg as a precaution—came on at halftime for Vicky, who was also seen with the same bandage days earlier against Atlético de Madrid. The two players did not take to the pitch in the final session before the European duel and remained doing a gym session. "We will see how they evolve, but it seems they will not be available," the coach explained.

The ones for whom there is a medical report are Laia Aleixandri and Renee Van Asten. The Catalan center-back will not return until the end of 2026 (or the beginning of 2027) after suffering a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee last February at Real Madrid's stadium. Van Asten, for her part, has a myofascial injury of the right rectus femoris and her return is scheduled for the weekend of October 3rd or 4th, when the 'blaugranes' will play at the Camp Nou against Real Madrid.

Aitana continues her specific plan

In the case of Aitana Bonmatí, the player from Sant Pere de Ribes continues with a specific plan to clear up the discomfort in her left ankle. The 'blaugrana' has returned to training with the group, but will still have to wait to return to the playing fields. "The idea is that she continues with her recovery, but I am convinced that she will be back very soon," confessed Romeu.

The midfielder has not played since last May 31st, when she was substituted at halftime in the last league match played at the Madrid CFF stadium. Bonmatí suffered a transsyndesmotic fracture of her left fibula in December 2025 that kept her off the pitch for five months. The player from Sant Pere de Ribes reappeared in May against Bayern Munich and gradually gained minutes. This season, however, she has not yet played a single minute to ensure a full recovery.

The U-20 World Cup, an added problem

Finally, Aïcha Camara and Carla Julià remain focused with the Spanish under-20 national team, which plays the semifinals against Italy this Wednesday (15:00 hours). Whatever happens in the match, they will not return, at the earliest, until September 26. In the event of a victory, Spain will play the final on Sunday, September 27, while if they lose, they will play the third and fourth place match the day before. Apart from Camara and Julià, defenders Julia Torres and Noa Jiménez and midfielder Rosalía Domínguez, from the reserve team, are also called up.

These absences condition the start of the season for Pere Romeu's Barça, which, despite this, counts its matches as victories. "Injuries take up our time so that they don't keep happening, but it is elite sport and the risk of playing so many matches. There is a lot of communication between medical services, physical trainers, and the coaching staff. I am an optimistic person who sees the day-to-day level and I don't want to enter into negative discourses, that is the message I always convey to the team," concluded Romeu.