Barcelona hit with injury blow as Spain forced into reshuffle | OneFootball

Barcelona celebrated a mammoth victory in the context of the title race on Sunday night, with two stoppage time goals securing a 4-2 win over Atletico Madrid that left them top of the table with a game in hand on Real Madrid, and four points ahead of Los Colchoneros. One of the key factors in the comeback was the assist from Inigo Martinez, but he has suffered an injury blow.

The Basque defender was back in Luis de la Fuente’s Spain squad for the first time since 2023, but tragically has suffered a knee injury. As per Diario AS, this will keep him out for two to three weeks, which puts him at risk for their La Liga clash against Girona, the return leg of their Copa del Rey against Atletico at the Metropolitano again, and in the worst case scenario, another home clash against Real Betis the following weekend. He should be back in time for Barcelona’s first leg at home to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.

Spain have wasted no time in replacing the 33-year-old, announcing Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen as his replacement. Huijsen would have been at Las Rozas anyway, as part of the under-21 setup, but he could not be in line for his first cap after a fine season under Andoni Iraola. It also sets up a potential clash in the Nations League quarter-finals against the Netherlands, the nation of his father and one of three sides he could have declared for internationally.

Image via AP / Bernat Armangue

Valencia defender Cesar Tarrega will replace Huijsen in the under-21 squad with Santi Denia. De la Fuente has to await further news on two more of his squad too. Bayern Munich winger Bryan Zaragoza, on loan at Osasuna, came off with pain in his leg on Sunday evening, while Marc Casado also suffered a knee injury at the Metropolitano in action for Barcelona. Sport say that initially Casado’s injury was concerning Barcelona’s staff more, and he will undergo tests in the Catalan capital, but no diagnosis has been released and so far he remains in the squad.