Barcelona, the second Spanish football club, confirmed on Saturday that the Uruguayan defense duo, Ronald Araujo, and the newcomer to its ranks this summer, French Jules Conde, were injured while performing their international duty in preparation for the Qatar World Cup 2022.
Araujo suffered a torn thigh muscle, leaving him out from the first minute in the 1-0 friendly loss against Iran, while Conde, in turn, suffers from a thigh injury, as he played only 23 minutes in France’s 2-0 victory over Austria Thursday in the fifth round of the European Nations League competition. .
The two defenders will miss the next match for their country and may not be available for Barcelona’s first matches when the European leagues resume their activities after the end of the international window.
The Catalan club’s coach, former midfielder Xavi Hernandez, is faced with the dilemma of renewing the defense line and compensating for the absence of this duo with the approach of the Clasico against traditional rivals Real Madrid on October 16, as he is likely to re-introduce the veteran Gerard Pique, who is on the bench.
On the other hand, and after his recent arrival from Seville, Conde has become an essential part of Barcelona’s defense, often playing at right-back, while Spanish reports indicate that the French international will be out for at least three weeks, although the club did not specify a duration. recover.
Barcelona suffers from several injuries among its international players during the international window, as Dutch striker Memphis Depay also suffered a hamstring injury Thursday during the match against Poland 2-0, which also saw the replacement of midfielder Frank De Jong for fear of aggravating his injury.