Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong is facing a period of over a month on the sidelines due to an ankle injury, raising doubts about his availability for the October Clásico against Real Madrid, according to sources reported by ESPN.
De Jong, aged 26, sustained the injury during the first half of Barcelona’s La Liga match against Celta Vigo on Saturday. Gavi replaced him, and Barcelona eventually came from behind to win 3-2.
The Clásico clash against Real Madrid is scheduled for October 28th at the Olympic Stadium, but sources suggest that De Jong is unlikely to recover in time for the match.
In the lead-up to the Clásico, Barcelona has four more league games on the horizon, beginning with fixtures against Mallorca and Sevilla this week, along with two Champions League group stage matches.
De Jong will also be unavailable for the Netherlands’ upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against France and Greece in October.
“We have options to come in for him, so hopefully we won’t suffer too much. We will see how he is after the [October] international break. That’s all we can say for now.”
De Jong’s injury adds to Barcelona’s list of absentees, which includes Pedri. The Spanish midfielder has been sidelined for a month, and although he is nearing a return, there is currently no specific timeframe for when he will be back in action.
“Pedri is feeling good, so we will see when we can get him back,” Xavi added. “We have options without [Pedri and De Jong], one of them is Sergi Roberto and another is Fermín López.”
Barcelona’s victory over Celta propelled them to the summit of La Liga over the weekend, taking advantage of Real Madrid’s loss to Atletico Madrid on Sunday.
Under Xavi’s leadership, Barcelona is set to visit Mallorca on Tuesday and will subsequently host Sevilla on Friday. Meanwhile, Real Madrid is scheduled to face Las Palmas on Wednesday and Girona, who currently sit in second place in the table, on Saturday.