Xavi left without his Clasico talisman Andreas Christensen

Bad news for Barça. The FIFA virus attacks the Blaugrana at the first chance it got. Andreas Christensen asked to be substituted in the 18th minute of the match between Denmark and Finland (3-1), a qualifier for Euro 2024, due to an injury in his left calf.

It is estimated that the central defender could be out for between three and four weeks, meaning he will miss the second leg of the Copa semi-finals against Real Madrid on April 5. Xavi Hernandez loses one of his defensive bulwarks to play the ticket to the final of the competition of the 'KO'. In addition to this Clasico, he will also be absent against Elche, Girona, Getafe and, possibly, Atletico Madrid, in La Liga.

The player will soon leave the Danish national team camp and head to Barcelona, where he will begin the process of recovery from the injury, with the help of FC Barcelona's technical services.

Curiously, Christensen has yet to taste defeat against Real Madrid as a Barça player. Since arriving at the Camp Nou last summer, he has played in three derbies in the Blaugrana jersey, winning three times.

He made his debut in the pre-season Clásico, played in Las Vegas, as a starter and playing the first 45 minutes of the game. He was absent from the first league clash due to a sprained ankle and missed Barça's 3-1 defeat at the Bernabeu. He played all 90 minutes of the Spanish Super Cup final, as well as the domestic game in the second half of the season. However, he was left on the bench for the first leg of the Copa del Rey due to ankle discomfort. So, three games and three wins.

During his time as a Chelsea player he met Los Blancos on three occasions: 1-1 draw in the 2020/21 Champions League semi-finals and a 2-0 win in the second leg. He lost 3-1 in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the following edition of the European competition and was left on the bench for the second leg. In short, one win, one draw and one defeat.

With Christensen sidelined, Xavi loses one of the mainstays of his first-choice defence, which consists of Kounde, Araujo, the Dane himself and Balde. As on previous occasions, everything suggests that Marcos Alonso will be deployed at left centre-back to make up for the loss of Andreas.

However, another option that the Blaugrana coach could consider is that of Eric Garcia, who has seen his appearances reduced considerably. On the other hand, there is also the alternative of placing Kounde at centre-back, alongside Araujo, and placing Sergi Roberto at right-back.