Barcelona manager Xavi has called it a ‘sad day’ for the club as Frenkie de Jong and Pedri were injured and taken off the field during their draw against Athletic Bilbao.
De Jong was carted out off from the field in the 26th minute after landing awkwardly on his right foot following a challenge. Pedri was taken off just before half-time as he suffered a right leg injury and was left in tears.
Speaking to the reporters, Xavi said that they would get to know more about the injuries to the midfielders in the coming days, but expects De Jong and Pedri to be out for a long time.
“It is a sad day,” Xavi told Movistar Plus.
“We’ll know more about their injuries between today and tomorrow, but it doesn’t look good. We were affected by that and I imagine that both will be out for several matches.”
What happened in Barcelona’s draw with Athletic Bilbao?
On a tense Sunday at Athletic Club, Barcelona’s aspirations to tighten the race for the LaLiga title were dashed in a goalless stalemate.
This draw came as a significant setback for the Catalan giants, who had eyed this match as an opportunity to diminish the lead of table-toppers Real Madrid and overtake Girona for the second spot.
Real Madrid had earlier dropped points in a 2-2 tie against Valencia on Saturday, setting the stage for Barcelona to make their move.
However, the anticipated leapfrog over Girona into second place was thwarted as they could only muster a point from the encounter, leaving them eight points behind Real Madrid and still trailing Girona by a single point.
Athletic Club, riding high on a remarkable 10-game home winning streak across all competitions, aimed to continue their impressive form. Positioned fifth in the league with 50 points, they sought to close the gap on Atletico Madrid, who are fourth with 55 points.
The match saw a shift in momentum in the second half, with Athletic turning up the heat. Inaki Williams and Alex Berenguer emerged as significant threats, pushing the Barcelona defence to its limits.
Despite their efforts and a more assertive approach, Athletic couldn’t break through the resilient Barcelona backline, which stood firm to ensure the visitors walked away with a crucial point.
