Barcelona’s painful defeat against Real Madrid on Sunday night was made even worse when tests confirmed that the versatile Xavi Espart will be sidelined for the foreseeable future with an ankle injury.

The first El Clásico of the season remained scoreless when the 19-year-old fullback went into a duel with Real Madrid midfielder Aurelién Tchouaméni. The Frenchman went to ground and got the ball first; however, his momentum drove his pulled-back legs directly into Espart’s right ankle.

Espart was unable to lift his right leg, and his ankle buckled, stuck in the ground with the weight of the incoming Tchouaméni impacting him at full force. The game continued, but only seconds later, the teenager fell on the ground and had to be withdrawn half-an-hour into El Clásico.

Real Madrid stunned Barcelona and won El Clásico 2–1 thanks to a Kylian Mbappé brace. The result ended Barcelona’s perfect record to start the La Liga season and got Los Blancos within three points in the standings.

Espart’s injury, though, might be an even more significant blow than the defeat, simply given the state of Barcelona’s backline.

When Will Xavi Espart Return From Ankle Injury?

Espart had been the breakout star of Barcelona’s season and was the best player in the recent defeat against Paris Saint–Germain. The defender, capable of playing right or left back, had played his way into Hansi Flick’s first-choice XI, starting nine of the team’s 13 games of the campaign. Now, the fresh injury blow will see him sidelined for an extended period.

Tests carried out in the aftermath of El Clásico revealed a far from encouraging diagnosis, and Barcelona released a statement confirming the La Masia graduate will miss significant time.

“Tests carried out have confirmed that Xavi Espart is suffering from an injury to the syndesmosis joint in his right ankle due to a collision with an opposing player in the game against Real Madrid,” the statement said. “The player will be out for around seven weeks.”

It’s a nightmare development for Barcelona and the surging Espart. Now, the teenager could miss up to eight games in the coming two months, including some massive clashes that will define the course of Barcelona’s season.

The Games Xavi Espart Could Miss With Ankle Injury

Barcelona Sinks Further Into Defensive Injury Crisis

Espart is now the fourth Barcelona defender currently sidelined with an injury, with Flick losing three defenders to physical issues in the last three games.

Andreas Christensen has been sidelined with a muscular issue since the final game before the September–October international break, and both Eric García and Jules Koundé have missed the last two games after sustaining injuries in the recent win against Real Betis.

With Espart unavailable, Alejandro Balde—the player many expected to leave the club this summer—is in line to get an extended look at left back, with João Cancelo operating at right back.

Still, given the injuries to four defenders, Barcelona have no other alternatives with senior team experience if they suffer yet another injury at the backline.

Flick confessed Barcelona will need to call up defenders from La Masia to try to navigate the growing injury crisis. But the German boss will be eager to get his senior players back to health as soon possible. Barça’s backline has started to show significant cracks in recent games, proving to be the team’s weakest area for the third season in a row.

This article was originally published on www.si.com as Barcelona Plunge Further Into Crisis With Nightmare Injury Update on Breakout Star.