International breaks will always split opinion in football over who cares and who doesn’t, but those who are just in it for their club side must simply hope that their players return unscathed.
That certainly hasn’t been the case for Barcelona in this international break, with Jules Kounde being forced off for France last night with a hamstring issue that may reportedly keep him out of the Clasico against Real Madrid.
That’s already a big blow to Xavi, but the problem is now even worse with the defence after Ronald Araujo was forced off less than a minute into his game for Uruguay.
The pair started in Barca’s recent victory over Sevilla before the break so it did look like Xavi saw them as a key part of his defence going forward, while the early indication on Araujo’s injury is that he’s likely to miss the next game against Real Mallorca, but he could also be a doubt for the Real Madrid clash too.