The final international break of the 2025-26 season has not been kind to Barcelona, who saw Raphinha struck down with an injury that will force him to miss much of the remainder of the campaign. Now, there have been fears of a similar case with one of their defenders, who had to be substituted during a match on Tuesday.
Xavi Espart, who has played four times for Barcelona over the last month due to Jules Kounde’s absence, has impressed since breaking into the first team fold, but there were concerns for him on Tuesday after he was forced off during Spain’s U19 Euros qualifying match against the Netherlands.
The 18-year-old had to be replaced after noticing discomfort, which has led to fears among Barcelona regarding another injury blow. However, the Spanish Football Federation has moved quickly to allay these, with Sport reporting that it has already been confirmed that the teenager is fine.
Espart is not suffering with any injury, and rather, his substitution came as a precaution. The priority was for him to return to Barcelona at 100%, and while he may be slightly off that due to the discomfort that forced him off, he should be fine to feature against Atletico Madrid this weekend, if needed.
Espart will be in contention for minutes against Atleti, but as the weeks go on, the likelihood is that he becomes less and less prominent in the Barcelona first team. Kounde is poised to return this weekend, and the same can also be said for Eric Garcia, who is another option that Hansi Flick has at right-back.
Nevertheless, it is good news that Espart, who missed almost three months earlier in the season with a knee injury, is fine. He could still play a part for Barcelona this season, even if it is not a prominent one.
