Injury update at Barcelona: Two Superstar key players subbed off in Clasico due to muscle discomfort
Barcelona’s pre-season tour is not turning out to be the fairytale many saw it to be. After a hard-fought loss to Arsenal earlier this week, the Catalans took on Real Madrid on Saturday night and appear to deal with severe blows.
Christensen makes his way off early on
Less than 30 minutes into his team’s second preseason game in the United States of America, Xavi Hernandez suffered the first big injury blow to his squad.
Andreas Christensen was forced to hobble off the field for Eric Garcia in the 29th minute of the hotly-contested game.
The 27-year-old centre-back started in the back line on the night alongside Ronald Araujo, Jules Kounde, and Alejandro Balde.
He completed 92% of his passes during his half an hour on the field and recorded four defensive actions.
It remains to be seen how long the defender faces on the sidelines.
However, a premature exit from a Clasico cannot be a good sign from a prognostic perspective.
His injury, however, could open the doors for Inigo Martinez to make a start in the coming fixtures.
Gundogan on the sidelines with muscle discomfort
Ilkay Gundogan made his second start in as many games for Barcelona in the Clasico, but his first experience of the famed fixture did not go to plan.
Even though being ‘a friendly’, Real Madrid played with super high intensity, and quite dangerously in defending Barcelona.
Tchouameni’s foul on Gundogan increased the heat in the Clasico, which put both sides vulnerable to injuries.
Falta de Tchouameni a Gundogan y tarjeta amarilla para el madridista. Se pasó de frenada. Después Gundogan se fue al banquillo lesionado con molestias en el muslo derecho #fcb #fcblive #barçamadrid pic.twitter.com/qR2cBfIeOp
— David Ibáñez (@DavidIbanez5) July 29, 2023
After experiencing discomfort in his right leg, the German was called off the field in the 42nd minute of play. Club captain Sergi Roberto replaced him.
❗️Gundogan has discomfort.
— @DBR8 pic.twitter.com/K9SM93kV8O
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) July 29, 2023
Barcelona are expected to make an official communication regarding the situation of both injured stars.
At this point, one would hope the injuries are minimal and does not affect the rest of the club’s preseason tour.
