Barcelona have confirmed that defender Xavi Espart will be sidelined for around seven weeks after suffering a right ankle injury during Sunday's 2-1 loss to Real Madrid in El Clasico.
In an official statement on Monday, the Spanish champions said tests had confirmed Espart was suffering from an injury to the syndesmosis joint in his right ankle, caused by a collision with an opposing player during the match against Real Madrid. The club said the player would be out for around seven weeks.
Coach Hansi Flick was forced to replace Espart with Alejandro Balde at the half-hour mark of the defeat to Barcelona's arch-rivals.
The 19-year-old Espart has played nine games for the Catalan club this season, recording two goals and two assists. He now joins Andreas Christensen, Jules Kounde and Eric Garcia on the list of Barcelona defenders currently out injured, leaving Joao Cancelo, Balde, Pau Cubarsi and Gerard Martin as the only available defenders in the squad.
Espart is set to miss Barcelona's La Liga trip to Atletico Madrid on November 8, as well as Champions League fixtures against Aston Villa, Sabah and Manchester City, among other matches, during his recovery.
