Barcelona will be without defenders Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde for their Champions League round-of-16 tie against Newcastle after both players suffered hamstring injuries.
The duo were forced off during Barcelona’s 3–0 Copa del Rey semi-final win over Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.
Despite the victory, the Catalan side were eliminated from the competition after losing 4–3 on aggregate.
Barcelona confirmed the extent of Balde’s injury in a statement.
The club said: “The time of the recovery process (for Balde) will be four weeks.”
The club did not specify how long Kounde will be sidelined, although Spanish media reports suggest the France international could miss a similar period.
Both players are expected to miss Barcelona’s Champions League fixtures against Newcastle as well as La Liga matches against Athletic Bilbao, Sevilla and Rayo Vallecano.
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Barcelona are also without midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who is currently recovering from a hamstring injury.
Kounde’s injury could also affect his availability for France’s upcoming friendlies against Brazil and Colombia in the United States later this month.
Balde, meanwhile, remains part of Spain’s national team pool but has been behind Marc Cucurella and Alex Grimaldo in coach Luis de la Fuente’s selection order.
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