Barcelona have injury problems in defence currently with Xavi Espart the latest player to be sidelined for Hansi Flick’s side.
The youngster sustained an ankle injury against Real Madrid and will miss the next seven weeks in a huge blow to club and player.
Espart joins Eric Garcia, Jules Kounde and Andreas Christensen on the sidelines, although Barcelona are hopeful that the latter two will be available again soon.
Hansi Flick refused to risk Kounde against Real Madrid but is hopeful the Frenchman will be fit in time to face Alaves on Saturday, per Mundo Deportivo.
The Barca coach must then decide whether to play Kounde from the start or manage his minutes ahead of key fixtures against Aston Villa in the Champions League and Atletico Madrid in La Liga.
Christensen won’t be ready in time for the weekend but it is now hoped he could be available to play some part of the game against Atletico.
The Dane has been out of action since sustaining an injury against Sevilla in September but is expected to be back next month.
As for Eric Garcia, he’s been ruled out for 3-4 weeks and is not set to return until after the international break.