BIG BLOW : Barcelona top defender injured set to miss El Clasico

BIG BLOW : Barcelona top defender injured set to miss El Clasico

Koundé was forced off, in the LaLiga game against Granada, which Lewandowski, de Jong, Raphinha and Pedri all missed through injury. There is potentially yet more bad news for Xavi Hernández on the injury front.

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Barcelona head coach is already without key members, of his roster in the shape of Robert Lewandowski, Frenkie de Jong, Raphinha and Pedri, and has now seen Jules Koundé struck by a fitness issue less than three weeks before the first Clásico of the season against Real Madrid.

As was the case with Lewandowski, in the Champions League win over Porto on Wednesday, Koundé was forced off towards the end of the first half in Sunday’s LaLiga clash against Granada.

The French defender, had endured a tough opening 45 minutes against Bryan Zaragoza, who scored twice for the Andalusians, and was visibly furious that he was unable to carry on after picking up a knock. Ronald Araújo, normally a regular starter alongside him in central defence, came on in his place.

According to journalist Toni Juanmartí of Catalan media outlet Sport, the Barça medical team’s initial diagnosis is that Koundé has suffered a “minor knee sprain”, which would normally result in an absence of two to three weeks.

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Further tests will be carried out, when the team returns to Catalonia on Monday. Were that to be the case, the 24-year-old would be yet another player facing a race against time to be fit for El Clásico, which will take place at Estadio Olímpico Lluís Companys in Montjuïc on Saturday 28 October.

Lewandowski (ankle), de Jong (ankle) and Raphinha (hamstring) have all been struck down in recent matches, while Pedri (thigh) hasn’t featured since the second LaLiga game of the season.

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