Barcelona's curse: Xavi is worried for the injuries of these two stars

Barcelona got this Sunday a key victory in La Liga. They beat Atlético Madrid 1-0 at the Estadio Olímpico Lluis Companys in Montjuic thanks to a beautiful goal by Joao Felix and are now in third place in the standings with 34 points, 4 less than leaders Real Madrid and Girona.

Xavi Hernandez's team needed a result and a performance like the one they had, against one of the best teams in Spain. In recent weeks the coach and some of the squad's main stars had received harsh criticism from the press and fans for their disappointing defeats against Real Madrid and Shakhtar Donetsk, and there were even rumors of a possible change of coach if things did not improve.

Now Los Blaugranas will have a few days of calm, but that does not mean they can relax. Xavi will have to find solutions to a problem that has plagued the squad all season: injuries. Many important players of the team have been out of the field due to physical problems, such as Pedri, Jules Koundé, Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Frenkie De Jong and Sergi Roberto.

Currently the most serious case is that of Gavi, who suffered a serious knee injury for which he had to undergo surgery and will be out of action for six to eight months. But he is not the only one in trouble. Marc-André Ter Stegen has had a lower back injury since November 17 that prevents him from playing and it is unclear what will happen to him. "Marc has discomfort in his back and we will see how he is. Anything that needs to be announced we will say," Xavi said on Sunday about him when asked about a possible surgery. According to Marca newspaper, the club's medical team has not yet made a decision on what is most convenient.

Another problem

During the warm-up before the match against Atlético Madrid, Iñigo Martinez felt physical discomfort that prevented him from playing. This Monday he underwent medical tests and the result was not good: he suffered an injury in the femoral biceps of his right leg and will not be considered for the match against Girona next Sunday.