Ivan Rakitic Undergoes Finger Surgery in Bid to Return for Copa Del Rey Final
Ivan Rakitic is set to undergo surgery on a fractured finger in hopes of a return in time for the Copa del Rey final on April 21. The midfielder suffered his injury during Tuesday night's 3-0 defeat to Roma, and went under the knife the following afternoon.
Barcelona's Tuesday went from bad to worse when it was revealed after the game that Rakitic had fractured his finger during their humiliating Champions League exit at the hands of the Italian side.
According to Marca, the Croatian had surgery on the finger on Wednesday afternoon, and while no official date has been announced for when he will return to the fold, the general hope is that the former Sevilla player will be back in time to face his old side in the Copa del Rey final on April 21 - only ten days away.
Victory over Sevilla at the Wanda Metropolitano will ease pain slightly in what was a disastrous and highly unexpected Champions League exit. Securing the domestic cup as well as La Liga might make Ernesto Valverde's debut campaign at Camp Nou a success; a season in which Rakitic has played a vital role.
However, a double might not be enough for Valverde to keep his job, with the club's president hinting at a possible departure for the manager.
Between now and April 21, Las Blaugrana face a trip to Celta Vigo. A win against the side placed ninth in the league will take the club even closer to La Liga success, with knowledge that Barcelona are only weeks away from taking the trophy out of Real Madrid's hands.
