Barcelona grapple with injury woes ahead of El Clasico, UCL clash

Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez faces injury crisis ahead of his sides Wednesday Champions League clash and the El Clasico next Saturday.

Barcelona on Sunday night, managed to pull a hard-fought 1-0 win against the Athletic Club, with the help of the goal from 17-year-old substitute, Marc Guiu.

While the absence of Sergi Roberto and Jules Kounde for the upcoming El Clasico against Real Madrid was already confirmed, there was some optimism that other key players like Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, Raphinha, and Robert Lewandowski might recover in time.

Xavi had already hoped to field Pedri and Raphinha in preparation for their Champions League clash against Shakhtar Donetsk, scheduled for Wednesday.

However, a recent report by Football Espana has revealed there that none of these players will be available to face Shakhtar.

Xavi now has only 13 senior players at his disposal, and has been forced to make selections from his bench, while considering young talents like Guiu.